


Of Gods and War

by Caroline_fangirl (BillCipherTriangle)



Series: Dream SMP Fics [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: 2020 L'Manberg Election on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Betrayal, Dream Smp, Found Family, L'Manberg War of Independence on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), No Romance, Villain Wilbur Soot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:29:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 45,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27722146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BillCipherTriangle/pseuds/Caroline_fangirl
Summary: Dream is a god, supposed to protect the Dream SMP Kingdom, and he does. Until he tastes chaos, the freedom to do what he wants with his power. When Wilbur starts a revolution on his land, he decides to take a stand and declares War, craving the destruction that comes with it. Unknown to him, Tommy is chosen as a hero to protect the world from the two chaotic gods. He is thrown into a war he never wished for and goes directly up against Dream. Will Tommy be able to get the Blessed Disks from the Ender Dragon to defeat the gods, or will everyone he loves die first?(A Kingdoms/Fantasy AU Dream SMP Story retelling)
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: Dream SMP Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2027716
Comments: 34
Kudos: 196





	1. A God's Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am! I said I would write more fanfic for this fandom and I'm back. Check out my two chapter one-shot about the festival if you haven't yet. This is a longer fic, with probably somewhere around 20 chapters. I've already written the first few and I'm excited to share this! This will be updated quite regularly. 
> 
> This is basically a Kingdoms AU retelling of the events from different POVs. Enjoy and leave your reactions in the comments, I like reading them!

For as long as he could remember, Dream was a god.

He didn’t know how or why he was chosen. He only knew that he was special. He’d woken up as a child in the middle of a forest. His memory was a blank slate, unable to think of a family or past he once had. Did Dream even have parents? 

He’d wandered the forest, stomach growling, legs weak, arms shaking from the cold. Dream should have died. He could count on both his hands the number of times he brushed close with death. He’d starved but never died from lack of food. He drowned, only to discover he could breathe underwater. Monsters attacked him night after night, yet those fatal wounds would heal in hours. 

He taught himself to fight using an old sword or sticks he found lying around. The movement of a sword was familiar to him, even as a kid. His body recognized it, allowing him to learn faster than he expected. 

More weird things happened to him. Over and over. Once, when a creeper was about to blow up, he shut his eyes to brace for impact. It never came. Instead, he found himself teleported to the top of a tree. Another time, he fell off a cliff, only to find himself floating in midair. He landed on the ground safely, heart pounding and head swirling with fog. 

When he wandered into villages, seeking refuge from the cold, his clothes tattered and ripped, the villagers piled him with chests. They were filled with stacks of potatoes, steak, diamonds, armor, weapons, and more. He was handed clothes and given a bed to sleep in. Dream never understood why they were so generous, but he tried to pay them back by fighting monsters. 

In one of those villages, he stumbled across a master librarian and a master blacksmith. 

“You’re a god!” The librarian gasped, inspecting him. “You must be the god of the main kingdom. Blessed by the world itself to protect us and the land you own.” 

“A god?” Dream had been fourteen at the time, still a kid, but older than he was when he first appeared in this world. He knew little about the world, about gods. 

“Yes. You must’ve realized you are far from normal. Have you discovered any powers, things you could do without thinking?” 

He had. And deep down, a part of him knew he was a god. That was the part of him that saved him from dying, from harm. Dream had nodded to the man and explained how he’d been able to teleport and float. 

“Say, what’s your name, son?” The librarian asked. 

“Dream,” he answered. When he’d woken up in the forest seven years ago, that was one of the only things he remembered. His name and his age. 

“You are the god! We must send you to the Dream SMP kingdom. After I train you in enchantments and magic, and my brother, the blacksmith, trains you in sword fighting.” 

He didn’t argue with the man, agreeing to be taught. 

Dream lived in that village. It was his home for several years, and they provided him with plenty of materials. His powers grew and developed, as well as his skills in hunting, combat, planning, and parkour. 

By the time he was sent off towards the kingdom, Dream wasn’t a child anymore. He was an adult, with knowledge of the world, and the full power of a god. He was ready to inherit and protect the land that was named after him. 

\---

The castle stood tall against the horizon, along with the dozens of buildings around it that made up the kingdom. Dream swung his feet, sitting on a tree branch high above the forest floor to get a better view. The Kingdom of Dream SMP didn’t seem bad, yet his stomach swirled with anxiety. This was his world, his land. As one of the only gods, he was responsible for whatever happened. Could he do this?

He stared down at the weight in his hands. A white clay mask he’d made, with a large smile to seem welcoming. Only, now that he looked at it, maybe the smile was too wide and rather creepy. 

Dream shook his head and fixed the mask upon his face. He didn’t want the whole city to know what their god looked like. That would be a mess in itself that he had no interest in cleaning up. He also had no desire to be worshipped. If anything he wanted to keep his entrance as quiet as possible. 

“What are you doing so high up? Sir, you’re going to fall.” A voice called down from below him, waving at him. “Do you need help getting down?” 

A smaller man stood under the tree, his royal armor sparkled with enchantments and his undercoat was a bright blue. He wore a pair of white-framed glasses that looked more like goggles. 

Dream tilted his head. “Nah, I don’t need help,” he dismissed. Standing on the branch, he moved towards the edge, ready to jump. 

“Wait! You’ll fall and I don’t have any-” 

Dream laughed and jumped from the branch, falling through the air. At the last moment, he stopped his fall, willing the code of the world to let him float a few feet above the ground. 

The smaller man on the ground screamed, his arms out wide as if to catch Dream. But when he saw that the other man was floating, he froze. “Healing potions…” he trailed, finishing his last thought. “What the fuck? How are you doing that?” 

Dream let his feet touch the ground, and grinned from behind his mask. As much as he didn’t want to be seen in a crowd or worshiped, he liked showing off his power. The sheer fact that he was a god made him feel like himself. If he couldn’t use magic, if he couldn’t fight, then he wasn’t himself. “I’m the god of your kingdom there, knight. I’m Dream, and you are?” 

The man blinked behind his glasses, stepping backward, his mouth falling open as he tried to speak. “A god? You… you’re Dream. I’m um… My name is, George,” he stuttered out. He shook his head. “I’m one of the generals that works directly under King Eret, a leader of the Not Found army.” 

“Interesting name for an army. You guys use invisibility pots or something?” Dream asked, stepping towards George. He held out his hand, summoning a bottle of invisibility. “Here, keep it, on the house.” 

George stared at the bottle in disbelief. But it wore off quickly. “Oh, right, I read gods have access to Creative Mode. You can fly and summon whatever you want, right?” 

“Yep! I was told to come to this kingdom, as it is my rightful home. May I meet the king?”

George nodded. “Of course, right this way. We’ll make it by sundown, hopefully. I don’t want to fight a whole ton of monsters on our way back,” he groaned. He dug in his bag. “Shit, I forgot I was out here to collect food. Do you think you could maybe just summon some apples and berries for us?” 

Dream shrugged. He didn’t feel like summoning anything else unless they needed it. “Maybe.” He let George lead him around the forest, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets. The cool air breeze swept through the trees, rustling the leaves. Dust filled the air with each step along the dirt path, branches cracking under their feet. 

“We’ll get you set up in a special guest room in the castle. You’ll need to meet His Majesty, but also my best friend and second general, Sapnap. And of course, you have to meet Princess Nikki, crowned by King Eret himself. Then we’ll throw you a grand party in the city,” George rambled, pulling out a book and jotting down the ideas in a list. 

Dream internally groaned. Did he really have to do all that? While he didn’t mind meeting the important people, there was no need for a festival or ball or any celebration of that matter. He wanted to live in the castle, free to do what he pleased, and protect the city from monsters and outside threats. Maybe cause the occasional fight so he could get some battle experience in. Nothing more. 

“Can we stick with meeting the royals for now? I’m not interested in a festival right now. All that sounds tiring, and we gods have to sleep and eat like you,” Dream said, plucking the book from George’s hands. He flipped through some of the pages, scanning over to-do lists and sketches of different areas around the land. 

George whined, reaching for the book. Dream was taller than him and dangled it above his head. “Give it back.”

“Only if you agree to my terms,” Dream said. He wanted his word, an informal deal to keep his presence under wraps from the majority of the public. God deals were only meant for serious situations since they forced the two parties to comply. 

George sighed and crossed his arms. “Alright, I suppose I understand. But the public will know. Rumors will spread, we won’t be able to stop them if they start partying in your honor.” 

Dream rolled his eyes, grateful for the mask. Humans would be humans. “True, but don’t make any sort of party sponsored by the government. Understand?” He waved the book in the air. 

“Of course.” George held out his hand. Dream handed the book back after erasing the part about the festival. “So, Dream, don’t like public attention, huh? What do you have stage fright or something? Is that why you wear the mask?” George teased. 

“So, George, don’t like being blind? Is that why you have those giant glasses? At this point they’re goggles. Hey, maybe I should call you Gogy,” Dream laughed, jumping in to tease back. He poked at his friend’s glasses. 

Huh, a friend. That’s what George felt like to him. It was as if they were meant to be friends, meant to have met. There was something deep down, a tug in his gut that made this conversation feel natural, familiar. Even the nickname he’d thought of on the fly felt somehow scripted like it was destiny. 

George swatted his hand away. “Hey, leave them alone! I’m not that blind. These glasses help me see colors and protect my eyes.” 

“Colorblind. Interesting. So without those, you wouldn’t be able to tell the color of my jacket?” Dream asked, glancing down at the hoodie. It had been given to him as a parting gift, the bright green stood for hope and peace, a welcoming color to match the smile on his mask. It contrasted well with his black bag on his back, and the purple glow of the Netherite axe behind him. 

“Yeah, what’s with the bright green. Maybe I should just call you Green Boi instead,” George laughed, inspecting his hoodie. Then he saw the weapon on him. “Netherite? You’ve been to the Nether?” He paused, stopping in the middle of the path. He gave Dream an unimpressed look, arms crossed and head tilted. “Don’t tell me you summoned it from Creative Mode.” 

Dream held up his hands, shaking his head. He wasn’t that lazy, or that much of a cheat to do that. Most of the items he’d ever summoned were food or building materials. “No, not at all. I’ve been to the Nether. My final exam from the Master I trained under was to spend a month in the Nether and survive without god magic. It tested all my skills. I ended up gathering a ton of Netherite, blaze rods, ender pearls, and other cool materials.” 

George stared at him, shifting on his feet. “An entire month? How did you last that long without your power?” 

Dream shrugged, continuing to walk on the path towards the castle. “I’m really skillful in everything. Combat, parkour, survival, strategy. It’s all natural to me.” 

Maybe it was the fact that he was a god that allowed him to level up and learn faster than others. Or maybe it was his stubbornness and pride that pushed him forward and trained him to be the best. 

“Show off,” George muttered, shaking his head. He took the lead again, the sun shining down on them as they left the tall trees of the forest. 

“Aww, you know you like me,” Dream teased, poking at his shoulder. 

“Yeah, yeah, Green Boi.” 

Dream smiled, a genuine one, and considered taking off his mask to let George see. Something about him made him feel comfortable and safe, and he knew they were going to stay friends no matter what happened. 

The castle grew larger as they made their way along the path, which shifted from dirt to wood to stone bricks. His boots echoed off the stoned pavement, and George’s armored boots clanked with each step. Lamps and torches were set all around the path, their glow more noticeable with the setting sun. 

The Dream SMP Royal palace was covered in the colors of the rainbow, stained glass of each other, and glowing beacons of red, orange, blue, and purple. It was an interesting build, including the rows of colored wool and clay. 

“Looks like a rainbow barfed on it.” Dream joked. They’d come up the back alleyway, where there were fewer guards and fewer colors. The front was probably decorated even more. “Is your king gay or something?”

“King Eret spent a long time building this castle along with Sapnap and I. It’s his most prized build, and the rooms he made are quite nice. I like it,” George said. He waved to the guards, and they stepped to the side, opening the back gate and allowing them to pass. “His Majesty is actually bi, but he wants the palace to be accepting for everyone.” 

Dream nodded. They stepped inside a large hallway, the walls thankfully weren’t painted in rainbow as well. Instead, they were a light pink that matched the statues of flamingos that loitered on the sides. Lamps hung overhead, lighting the banners and paintings on the walls. They walked along a red carpet towards a center camber with two large golden doors. 

Two guards stood in full iron armor outside the door. Once they saw George, they saluted and opened the doors. 

The throne room wasn’t as grand as Dream thought it would be. It was a simple room with marble flooring and stained glass windows. A red and yellow throne sat front and center, with two smaller thrones on either side. It was empty.

Instead, a young man in red and black robes sat at a desk, reading a book and taking notes. He hadn’t looked up from his work yet, his golden crown slipping down his brown curls. 

“Ahem, Your Majesty. I have a very special guest to introduce you to,” George announced. 

Eret flinched in his seat at the sudden sound of his voice, and stood, adjusting his sunglasses and crown. He turned to Dream. “Hello! Welcome to the Dream SMP. I’m King Eret. Please, you can call me Eret.” He held out his hand, a grin on his face. 

Dream shook. “I’m Dream. I assume you knew I would be arriving? The village said they sent a letter.” 

“Yes, I received the message yesterday. It’s good that you’re here! I had been worried for a few years that we wouldn’t be blessed with a god after the creation of the largest Kingdom in the world,” Eret said, chuckling. 

“I got lost,” Dream admitted. It was a partial truth. He’d been lost for a few years as a kid, but then stayed in once place to train. 

“Ah, that’s alright. I’m glad you’re not lost anymore!” A knock sounded on the door. “Come in,” Eret called. 

A dark-haired man stepped in, a white ribbon tied across his forehead. He wore armor painted white, a glowing fire insignia on his chest plate. His dark eyes narrowed on Dream and faster than anyone could speak, a glowing diamond sword was at Dream’s throat. 

“Who are you? How did you get inside? Are you here to assassinate the king? I’ll burn you alive if you even think about-”

“Woah, Sapnap calm down. He’s welcome here, and he’s not going to hurt us.” Eret stepped forward, a hand on the other Knight's shoulder. “Lower the weapon.” 

Despite his life being threatened, Dream felt no fear. His heart rate hadn’t even spiked, but his knees had bent, in anticipation of a fight. Sapnap was no match for him, even without his godly powers. He’d always be faster, stronger, and smarter when it came to battle. 

“I mean, if he wants to fight I’ll be happy too,” Dream said. In one swift motion, he held his Netherite axe up, the enchantments glowing in the low light. “If you want to say hello to Nightmare that is.” 

“You named your axe Nightmare?” George piped up from behind. “A pun? Really, Dream?” 

He shrugged. “What? It’s a cool name for a Netherite Axe with Sharpness 4 and Unbreaking 4 enchantments.” Dream causally held the weapon over his shoulder, free hand on his hip. 

Sapnap lowered the sword, blinking twice and scanning over Dream and his weapon. “What the fuck?” 

“Nice to meet you, Sapnap. I’m Dream, the god of this Kingdom.” 

He grinned, gazing between the two knights. Something tugged on his heart, something that told him he was where he was supposed to be. With his new friends. They were meant to be a group, it was written in his fate. He could feel it. An idea flashed into his head. 

“Let’s be the Dream Team!” 


	2. Blood God

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this fic is slow going in terms of writing and reads so we'll see how much I continue through it haha

Technoblade hated being a king. The god thing, well, he didn’t mind that. 

When he’d woken up in a desert, all those years ago, a village sent him straight to a nearby Kingdom called SMP Earth. Somehow, they knew he was a god before he did. They’d inspected his half-piglin form and deemed him worthy to be on the throne. 

He was a kid at the time, crowned and stuck inside a boring castle. He had to help people he didn’t know, had to follow rules he didn’t understand, and worst of all, people told him what to do all the time. 

Techno had no freedom. He was restricted to the throne room, bedroom chambers, or training grounds. His favorite part of the day was learning to fight, to hunt, to survive. He even developed his own fighting tactic with fishing rods that won him a majority of his fights against others and monsters. 

But everything else was shit. He was talked at all day long by advisers who told him to enact this law or raise this tax or order a new building project. Techno didn’t care about any of that. Treated like a caged pig day in and day out was exhausting. 

And one day, he snapped. 

It was in the middle of a meeting about another book of laws he was supposed to listen to and sign. A man was going on and on, and Technoblade’s mind was not even in the room. He’d been out of the palace recently and saw all the farmlands beyond the city. 

What was it like to live on a farm? To milk cows, and own sheep, and farm potatoes or carrots. He wanted to ride a horse through the countryside, not around before battle. 

“Sir. Your Majesty, we need you to tell us if these laws are-” 

“Will you shut the fuck up about your stupid laws!” Techno yelled, his blood boiling in his veins. He stood up, reaching for his sword. “Laws this, laws that. Don’t you realize that laws do nothing for the people? They’re fake. A fake construct so you can maintain control. It’s all a show. Laws and government aren’t needed. People do whatever they want anyway. Why try to control them?” 

He lowered his stance and slashed out with his sword. The swing decapitated the royal adviser, blood spilling on his coat and face. The warm liquid and smell of copper filled his senses, and he understood why he was a god. This was power, this is what he was meant for. 

The other men and guards began screaming, the noises music to his ears. Techno began to laugh and held out his hand. He summoned a torch and lit the red carpets and throne on fire. It was burnt to ashes in an instant. 

The guards swung at him, a few arrows flying towards him. Techno teleported behind a guard and stabbed straight through his armor, blood pouring from the wound. He pulled his sword out of the body as it fell to the floor, the satisfying squelch sound causing his heart to pound faster. Ducking under another sword, he swung up, the long cut across a guard’s torso and splattered more dark red onto his body. 

Techno loved each moment. Each time he saw the life drain from another person’s eyes, each time their body collapsed to the floor, he felt his power grow, excitement overpowering logic. Adrenaline rushed through him, feeling so addictive he couldn’t get enough. His godly power sung in his bones, in his soul, begging him to let loose, to destroy everything. 

The doors burst open, and a few dozen soldiers burst into the throne room. Arrows flew in the air, but Techno was a god, they were like peasants to him. He caught a few of the arrows in midair, dodging the rest, and twisting his torso away from two swords. He jumped into the air, switching into Creative Mode using the magic code. He flew, summoning a crossbow and shooting the arrows he’d caught right back at the guards, landing them square in the heart or skull. 

With his sword, he ducked behind another guard, stabbing him and laughing. He couldn’t control the sense of pure elation, and he killed every last knight. Round after round, they ran at him with axes, arrows, even potions of poison. Techno obliterated them, all of them. The rush of battle kept him sustained and satisfied. And when there was nothing but a castle of rotting bodies, Techno had to destroy the whole thing. 

He summoned a stack of TNT, placing it all around the SMP Earth castle, and trailing redstone behind. He ignited them and watched as the entire castle blew to bits, destroyed by his own hands. 

Techno’s vision blurred as he fled the kingdom, leaving it in the perfect state of anarchy for the citizens. He stumbled across the forest, unable to keep himself awake. The fight had worn him, and the fact that he’d used so much of his power. He wasn’t used to fighting like that or using his god powers for so long. 

Luckily, he found a cave and collapsed there. 

\----

Techno had no clue how many days he slept, but he was awoken by the sound of footsteps. They were light, quiet against the ground as if they were hunting for food. 

He yawned, sitting up. His clothes were a mess, covered in dried blood and dirt and water. He ditched the royal coat but kept the crown. There was something about the crown, about his past, that he wanted to remember. And he wanted people to know the legend of Technoblade, the Anarchist King. The Blood God. He liked myths and legends and wanted to be remembered as one. The crown was his clout. 

The footsteps neared and Techno left the cave, stretching his back and legs as he scanned for the other person. 

It was a man? At least, he looked like a man with long blond hair tied into a ponytail and a green striped hat. But on the man’s back were a pair of bright white wings, feathered and folded. They reminded Techno of the doves he’d seen on the palace grounds. 

The man spotted him. “Are you lost?” He asked, stepping closer. His hands were palm up, showing that he meant no harm. 

Techno would be more shocked at the wings, but then he remembered, lifting a hand to his ears, that he wasn’t completely human either. He’d somehow woken up as a half-piglin, with pointed ears, a wide and sensitive nose, and fangs. 

“I don’t get lost. I’m a human map,” Techno replied. He didn’t have this world memorized, but he had access to coordinates as a god. Something nobody else did without a map. 

“Hmm alright,” the man chuckled. “Well, let me know if you need help. I own a farm not too far from here.” 

Techno’s ears perked up at the mention of a farm. Freedom to do whatever he wanted, and the chance to learn how to farm his favorite food, potatoes. “Actually, could you take me to your farm? I’m hungry and don’t have any food on me.” 

“Sure.” The man waved him in the direction, the sleeves on his green robe following the movement. “We can walk there. It’ll take about two days, but-”

“No need.” Techno floated up into the air, flying towards the older man. “I can fly. Let’s go,” he said. 

The older man blinked and then laughed. “I had no clue you were a god. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Phil.” He spread his large wings, shaking the feathers out. 

“Technoblade. Or Techno for short,” he said, flying above the treetops. He waited for Phil to join him. 

A breeze ran through his braided hair, as wings flapped to take off from the ground. Once Phil was high in the air, he tilted his body and began to soar on the wind. Techno followed, keeping up with him. The forest passed below them, as they traveled further and further from the Earth SMP land. 

“So what are you exactly?” Techno asked. 

“An angel, hence the wings. We’re not as rare as gods, but I haven’t met any others like me. Are you a piglin god?” Phil turned to gaze at him, green eyes pouring into his soul. 

Techno’s insides squirmed at the look, but he didn’t feel as uncomfortable as he expected. There was something about this man. Maybe it was his relaxed and carefree attitude or the fact that he owned a farm, or the warm smile, or even that he was an angel. 

“Half-piglin, so yes. I’m more of a Blood god though. Or a Potato god.” 

“The Blood God, eh? Nice title. Do you like fighting and potatoes then?” Phil guessed, his laughter light as he flapped his large wings once again. He tilted his body to the side, turning as they flew over a large river and towards the mountains. 

Techno rolled his eyes. “Yes. Oh, and I hate governments. Tell me you live outside the SMP Earth.” 

“We live outside the two kingdoms, yeah,” Phil replied, flapping his wings to climb higher in the air. Techno followed, climbing higher than the mountains as they crossed over. 

“We?” Techno wasn’t sure he wanted to stay with a whole bunch of strangers. 

“Me and my two sons. One of 'em is actually around your age looks like, maybe a bit younger. He could use a teacher like you to learn some fighting skills,” Phil explained. "The other is a bit wild and never stops talking. He's only nine, mind you, but he's great." 

They flew over snow-capped peaks, and behind the mountains, a valley of green farmland and fields came into view. There were plenty of rivers and wells, and he could see the tops of a few houses and barns. 

Techno thought about meeting another kid his age. He hadn’t been allowed to make friends or go to any sort of school with others. He’d always wanted a friend. And Phil seemed like a good dad. Maybe he’d like it here. 

Phil tucked his wings in, diving headfirst into the valley, quickly picking up speed. Techno dove, as well, attempting to keep up with him. Phil spread his wings again when they were closer to the ground, soaring over the farms. He flapped them faster as he landed in front of a reasonably sized house with two stories made of nice stone bricks and wood. 

"Dad? You're back early. Did you get the-" A voice spoke from inside the door, the hinges squeaking slightly as it opened. A younger teen with curly brown hair stood in the doorstep, staring at Techno. His eyes darkened and narrowed, a hand reaching for a sword. "Who are you? Did you hurt my father?"

Phill shook his head, opening his wings as he stepped between them to keep them from fighting. "No, no. I found him lost in the woods close to the Earth SMP and offered him a place to stay and eat. Wilbur, I'd like you to meet Techno." 

Techno waved a hand. "'Sup," he said. Wilbur didn't seem so bad, his brown eyes were soft but understood the darkness that existed in the world. He seemed happy with his life on the farm with his father. Techno figured he'd like him, especially if Phil allowed them to train each other. He wanted to learn farming, and Wilbur needed a combat teacher. 

Wilbur's hand let go of the sword handle on his hip, shoulders falling, and glanced between Techno and Phil. "I see." He stepped aside from the doorway, allowing them inside. "In that case, welcome. It's not much, but we make do."

Techno entered the cozy home, taking notice of the entrance hallway with simple smooth wooden flooring, and a mat near the front and back door. To his right was an archway leading into the kitchen and living room, and to his left there was a set of stairs leading to the bedrooms. It was a lot smaller than the castle he grew up in, but he liked that. The change in scenery was exactly what he needed. 

"Dad's back!" Another voice screamed, footsteps pounding down the stairs. A tuft of blond hair bounced as a young kid ran over to Phil, tackling him in a hug. “I missed you! You missed a lot. Wilbur’s being a meanie again and took the sword away,” he complained. 

Phil’s arms wrapped around the younger kid, picking him up with a grunt. “You’re getting bigger, aren’t you Tommy?” He laughed. “You know your brother is looking out for you. You have to use the wooden sword for a few more years, ok?” 

Tommy pouted, shaking his head. “No I don’t. I can use the sword whenever I want. And you can’t stop me,” he whined. His bright blue eyes spotted Techno and widened. He struggled in Phil’s arms till he let him down. 

Tommy ran over to Techno, inspecting his clothes, his sword and his crown. “Are you a prince or something? What’s with the awful clothes and smell? You need a bath. Are you new here? Will you be staying with us? If you are, I’m stealing your sword. It looks cool!” The kid ran around him, scrunching his nose a few times. He bounced on his feet and tapped on the leather holder for Techno’s sword. 

Well, Phil wasn’t lying about him being hyperactive and funny. Techno couldn’t help the smile on his face, the smaller kid had this curiosity in his eyes that he never had, a drive that would push him to do great things when he got older. Techno liked him despite all the questions and prodding. 

Phill grabbed Tommy’s arm, pulling him away. “Calm down. He’s our guest for a while so you’ve got to be on your best behavior, alright?” 

Tommy sighed, crossing his arms and lifting his head. “Fine, Dad. I’ll be good. Then I get cake for dessert, right?” 

“Only if your brother bakes us some.” 

Wilbur leaned on the stair railing and shrugged. “I can make some cake if you want, Tommy,” he grinned. His eyes then focused on Techno. “Let me show you to the guest room.” He gestured for him to follow. 

Techno climbed the stairs, taking note of the pictures on the wall of the family, framed and hung. Of Wilbur as a younger child, and then Tommy as a baby. His heart stung in his chest, throat closing. He’d never had a family, anyone to call his friend, his brother, his father. He couldn’t remember anything before he woke up in the desert. He was eight at the time, and then whisked straight into the kingdom. 

He ignored his feelings and continued down a hallway. Wilbur opened the first door on the right of the hallway. It was a simple room, painted blue, with a medium-sized bed. There was a dresser and a desk, and a closet door on the side. Techno already felt at home, more than he ever did in his large and lonely bedchambers in the castle. 

“Thank you, Wilbur…” he paused. “Do you have some clothes I could borrow?” 

“Of course. I’ll leave you some on the bed. The bathroom is right across the hallway. I’ll be downstairs, holler if you need something.” Wilbur said, stepping away from the doorway and disappearing into his room to gather clothes. 

Techno gazed around the room hopefully. This was his chance at a new life, at a new family. Phil seemed like a good father and a nice person, and he wanted to stay for as long as the man would allow him to. 

“How are you holding up?” Phil asked, leaning against the doorway. 

Techno turned to him, a smile on his face. His eyes burned with tears. “Can I stay? I… you and your sons are a great family.” 

Phil’s expression shifted to one of sympathy and compassion, and he stepped forward, nodding to him. “I understand. You’re welcome to live here as long as you’d like.” He wrapped his arms around the other. 

Techno never cried. He hated crying, and it made him seem weak. So it was rare for him to do so, even by himself in the castle. But in this moment, in the arms of a father he’d never had, a man so gentle, he fell apart. Everything he’d been holding back for years came out. 

Phil seemed to understand, simply wrapping his wings around him and patting his shoulders. Even Wilbur left them be, setting the clothes outside the door and walking away. 

Techno had a family. And he was proud to call Phil his dad, and Wilbur and Tommy his brothers. 

  
  


\-----

Techno wasn’t the last person to be officially adopted by Phil. Two years after his arrival, a tiny boy appeared at their doorstep in the rain, shivering and cold, his clothing tattered. He seemed to be about Tommy’s age, but with brown hair and blue eyes. 

Phil took him in almost immediately, warming the shaking boy up and feeding him. He said his name was Tubbo and his parents had been killed in a village raid. He’d been on his own for a week and was struggling to find food and survive at night with monsters around. 

Techno quickly learned that Tubbo was a quiet boy compared to Tommy’s constant shouting, and very sweet hearted. Him and Tommy became inseparable, and shared a room together. Tubbo was always carefree and helpful, only occasionally he’d join in on Tommy’s pranks and schemes, and got into trouble. They were a great team. 

It was one day, several years after Tubbo joined them, that a notice warning sign was placed outside their door. Techno had stepped out, following Tommy and Tubbo as they ran down the dirt path and chased each other. A wooden sign poked out of the lawn, and he turned to read it. 

_ Warning: The Dream SMP Kingdom is expanding their land, and your farmland will be a part of the Kingdom in one week. Please send in letters of registration to become citizens and continue your business.  _

Techno blinked and read the sign again. What? The other Kingdom was taking their land? Why? Why did they need to own more property? His blood boiled thinking of following under someone else's rule. Their farmland was theirs to own, theirs to manage without rules, without taxes and without conflict. Government made things so complicated. 

He loved his home, his family, his potato fields, and his horses. And no government was going to take that away from him. Not on his watch. He wouldn’t let it happen. He growled at the sign, pointing at it and setting it on fire. “No kingdom is going to take away my home,” he swore, shaking his head. 

Memories of his rebellion flashed through his mind, the sensation of chaos and death around him had fueled him. The blood staining his skin, his hands, his clothes. Since then he tried to recreate the feeling by hunting animals, but he liked animals, and could never find himself able to harm pigs. He could rebel against the entire Dream SMP Kingdom and probably win with the amount of power he had. 

Techno stormed back inside, ignoring the burning in his veins and pushing it back for later. He teleported straight to Phil’s location, finding him working the wheat field down the road. His family had gotten used to him being a god, so his father wasn’t shocked to see him standing there. 

“What’s up?” Phil stopped what he was doing and adjusted the brim of his green hat so he could see Techno. 

“The Dream SMP is taking our farm. I’m going to stop them,” Techno said, being as blunt and truthful as possible. 

“What? When did this happen?” Phil frowned, his wings shifting behind him.

“There was a sign outside our door. Sorry, I destroyed it, but I remember what it said.” Techno’s hands curled into fists, his eyes narrowing. “I’m not letting them take our home. I’m going to fight them all if they don’t agree to my terms.” He started walking away. 

Phil’s wings flung out, blocking his path. “Wait a moment, Techno, you can’t do that. Please, it’s dangerous. We can fill out the paperwork, it’s alright.” 

“No. You know why I can’t let them. All of you know why I hate the government. It’s not a secret. You have to let me go and you know it,” Techno said darkly, stepping away from Phil’s wings. He didn’t want to hurt him accidentally. 

Phil locked his jaw and then sighed, folding his wings in, letting them drop to the ground. “I know. I... will warn you. The Dream SMP has a god. A powerful one, and he’s been protecting them for the past year. You can’t waltz in, he could kill you.” 

Techno laughed, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “Oh no, another god. Dad, there’s one thing you should know about me.” He paused, stepping forward with a grin. “I never die.” He whispered. “I know you’re worried, but I’ll be fine. This other god can’t kill me. Oh, he’ll try, but he won’t succeed.” 

Phil’s brow creased but he nodded. “Alright, be safe, please. I love you,” he said. 

Techno smiled, walking down the road. “I will. Love you too,” he laughed. “Time to go make a deal with another god.” 


	3. Dream VS Techno Duel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun chapter to write. Credit to Sadist's animation for inspiration for this scene! Go watch if you haven't already seen it.

Dream snapped awake seconds before someone started pounding at his door, a cold feeling spiraling down his gut. Something was wrong. His heart picked up speed as he reached for his green hoodie, pulling it on and strapping the mask to his face once more. 

“Sir, it’s an emergency, please wake up. The castle has been-” the guard outside the door was cut off by a scream of pain.

Dream grabbed his axe sitting by the bed and held up the shield from the wall. Whatever was going on couldn’t be good. Something tugged at his stomach, telling him to prepare for danger, and his godly powers responded. 

From outside the door, he could hear the crunch of someone walking over broken glass. A body slammed against the ground with a thud. The door to his room shook as someone tried to get the handle to move. 

George had insisted they install good locks onto the door so Dream was protected, and for once he was thankful he didn’t shrug off the offer. He held his axe up, lowering his stance to prepare for whatever was outside. 

The locks clicked, opening, and the door burst open, revealing a pool of blood around the guard that had been outside his door. The body lay under a man with long braided pink hair, pointed ears, and a boar mask over his face. He wore a crown and a red cape, his clothes covered in blood. He held a Netherite sword in his hand, and energy and power radiated from him. 

Another god. 

Dream knew that there was another kingdom, the SMP Earth. But they hadn’t had a ruler or a god in years, so who was this god? Was he supposed to protect SMP Earth but went rogue? As far as he was aware there were no other gods besides him. Why would this one show up now and kill all the guards?

Oh no! What about George and Sapnap? Dream’s throat closed, and he prayed they weren’t dead. He didn’t want to lose his only friends. If this god killed them, he’d have serious hell to pay. 

The man stepped over the body into the room, sword extended to point towards Dream. “We’re gonna make a god deal. Now.” 

“What? Look man, I don’t even know you, or what’s going on. Maybe let’s start with that. What happened to the knights? Did you kill all of them?” Dream paused, his blood boiling thinking of George’s dead body on the ground in the hallway. He ignored the tears forming in his eyes behind the mask. “I fucking swear if you killed George and Sapnap I’ll-”

“I only killed three guards, the ones in this hallway. I didn’t kill any leaders. Yet,” the god said, lowering his sword out of Dream’s face. “But I will if you don’t agree to my terms.” 

“Your terms? What if I don’t want to make a deal with you? Maybe if you tell me what’s going on and who you are, I’ll reconsider. But for now, you look like a real asshole, barging in here and killing our guards. What the hell, man. Gods are supposed to help people, not kill them.” Dream’s hand tightened around his weapon. His kingdom was threatened by a rogue god, and it would be his job to stop him. If George and Sapnap were alive, he had to protect them. 

“Your kingdom, the Dream SMP, is threatening to take our farmland. We have the right to keep our land away from the government if we don’t want to be citizens. Governments make the people weaker and able to be controlled by silly concepts like taxes and laws,” the man said, twirling his sword at his side. “Let’s make a deal for this and settle it like men.” 

Farmland? Expansion? Dream tried to remember why those words sounded familiar. He wasn’t directly in charge of the government, after all. He spent most of his time killing monsters, hunting food, or helping people. But then he remembered what King Eret had briefed them on a while ago. 

Eret said that the Dream SMP was ready to expand into the forests and farmland beyond current borders, and welcome new citizens in. It meant more people for Dream to protect, but he wasn’t against that. Was this god really a farmer? Why would he want people to be free?

“Woah, I’m not the one in charge. If you want to change the laws of the expansion you’ll have to talk to King Eret,” Dream said, lifting his hand up and shaking his head. 

“Pointless. I’m not speaking to the man in charge. You hold more power than he does, plus he’ll never agree or uphold his word. You, on the other hand, are a god. You’ll be forced to uphold your word.” 

Dream couldn’t argue with him there, as a god he technically held more power, and Eret could lie. Not that he thought Eret was the kind of person to lie or not uphold his word, but to a rogue god, he could see why he wanted to make a deal. “Fine, what’s the deal you propose.” Dream reminded himself he was only doing this for George and Sapnap’s sake. He had to keep this crazy go from going on a rampage and killing them. 

“We duel, no killing. If I win, you give us our land back and can’t take it over,” he said. 

“And if I win, you are banished from this city and not allowed to kill anyone in the Dream SMP kingdom,” Dream added. He couldn’t allow this to happen again, especially from a god so hellbent on destruction and chaos. 

“Deal.” 

Dream hesitated. If he lost, he would be forced to do something that he technically didn’t have power over, but would be compelled until Eret did. But if he won, he could protect George and Sapnap from untimely and torturous deaths at the hand of this man. 

“Deal,” Dream agreed. They shook. The other god’s hands were larger and calloused from fighting and farming. 

“I’m Technoblade, the blood god. I look forward to our duel. Let’s make it legendary,” Techno said, the grin barely hidden under the skull mask. 

“Dream. Now don’t go thinking you’re going to win this, I can’t lose or my friends die.” He strapped his axe to his back, crossing his arms. 

“Friends? Please, if they work for the government, they’re corrupt. They’re using you and you need to wake up, Dream.” Techno stepped towards the door, over the body of the dead guard. “I’ll be seeing you soon.” With that, the god was gone, teleported away. 

\----

“Wait, wait what?” George asked, face pale as he shifted in his seat. “Another god, broke into the castle, killed four guards, and made a deal with you?” 

“Why didn’t you call for us then? We could’ve helped.” Sapnap shook his head, pointing at the button by the door. “That rings a bell for us. You know that, and you didn’t call us.” 

Dream glanced at the emergency button, with the redstone torch lit at its side. He could’ve hit it once he realized his friends were alive and sleeping in the rooms downstairs, but he couldn’t risk it. 

He shook his head. “No, you don’t understand. The amount of power radiating off this man, he would’ve killed you two if he realized I was trying to trick him. I don’t want you dead because of my mistakes.” 

“What? You’re saying we couldn’t have handled him, three versus one?” Sapnap growled, his fists shaking. “We could’ve stopped him, Dream. We could’ve killed him, made him pay!” 

“Sapnap, if Dream didn’t think that was a good idea then maybe he’s right. He’s usually right, we have to trust him on this. If he made a deal, it’s already done,” George said, standing up and stepping close to Dream. He put his hand on his shoulder. “I trust you. What can we do?" 

Dream watched his friends, sighing, and taking off his mask. It wasn’t uncommon for him to do so in the privacy of his room. It revealed his dark green eyes and freckled cheeks, along with the small scar down the side of his nose. “I..” He ran his fingers through his hair. 

George frowned, taking the mask from his fingers and setting it on the bedside table. “Hey, I know a lot happened. Take a break if you need too, we can handle the cleanup from here.” 

“No I, we have to come up with a strategy to win. But I don’t want you interfering. I need a way to beat him fair and square. Maybe I can buffer the enchantments, practice my combat and parkour. If it’s a full-on god fight, we’ll be using magic, flying, summoning, teleporting,” he listed on his fingers, pacing the room. 

He was worried, considering he’d never gone up against somebody his level before. The best combat teachers always lost to him now, even when multiple were on him at once. But Techno was a god. 

“Why does his name sound so familiar?” Dream muttered to himself, frowning. 

George’s warm hand on his snapped him from his thoughts. “Relax, getting worked up won’t help. Keep a clear head, and I’m sure you’ll win. We’ll cheer for you on the sidelines.” He backed up, waving to Sapnap. “Let’s go help clean up.” 

“Thanks, guys, I really owe you.” Dream flashed his friends a smile, insides warming at the thought of their team sticking together through anything. He held his hand out. “Dream Team on three?” 

Sapnap laughed and put his fist in, nodding. “We’re with you, man. All the way.” 

George joined in with a grin. “Of course. We can do this, together.” 

“Dream Team!” They shouted in unison, Dream’s heart soaring. Maybe he could do this after all. He had the motivation to protect his friends, and their support backing him the whole time. Fighting a god was hell, but he was going to kick Techno’s ass. 

\---

Their duel date was decided upon a week from the day they made the deal, and Dream spent his time practicing and training, frequently going into the Nether to get items and fight. By the end of the week, he had done everything he could think of and time was up. 

Techno met him outside the city, on a large field between the city and the forest. This is where their duel would take place, but knowing them, they’d spend a good portion in the air or running and dodging. 

Techno was wearing the same skull mask, hair still tied in a long braid. He wore enchanted Netherite armor, holding the same sword he wielded a week before. But hooked to his strap on his back was a fishing rod. Was that for show or did he have an actual plan? Techno also held a shield in another hand. Behind him, in the trees of the forest beyond, stood a man in a green hat with wings. 

Wings? Dream had never seen that before. Who was that man? Was he here to cheer Techno on like George and Sapnap were for him? 

His axe shifted in his hand, and he stepped towards his opponent, keeping as calm as he could. If he took deep breaths, putting his free hand in his pocket. “Hello, Techno.” He nodded to him. 

“Hey, Dream. I assume you’re ready to uphold our deal,” Techno said, his voice calm and devoid of hate surprisingly. He seemed chill, relaxed and ready to go, while Dream had to hide the crushing nerves in his gut from his voice. 

“Of course, I’m a man of my word,” Dream said, showing his respect for the other god by bowing. A sign of good faith, of a fair duel. He knew this would be the hardest battle of his life, but mixed with the anxiety was excitement. His fights with others were boring at this point, and fighting another god gave him a rush that he’d never felt before. Dream craved the challenge and didn’t want to back down. 

Technoblade followed his lead, bowing respectfully. “Good. We’ll count ten steps back and begin.” He turned around, counting his steps out loud. “Ten.”

“Nine.” Dream turned and repeated the same, their counting in sync so they’d start at the same time. “Eight.”

The grass crunched under his feet, and his heart pounded faster, rushing through his ears.

Seven. Six. 

He exhaled, turning his brain off and focusing on his instincts, his power. 

Five. Four. 

Adrenaline and magic mixed in his blood, boiling over and preparing him. 

Three. Two. 

It was time. One. 

  
  


Dream turned, axe light in his hands, as Techno’s form blurred, rushing at him. The sword swung at his shoulders, but he was ready and ducked under the sword, slicing the axe up. He hit Techno’s shield and jumped back as a blade barely missed his armor. He stepped back, trying to put space between them, but the other god predicted that, and twisted his body with the weapon, getting in closer. 

Dream blocked, the sword clunking against the shield, and swung his axe down. Metal clanged together, sparks flying as a sword blocked his axe. Something heavy slammed into Dream’s chest, knocking the air out of him, and forcing him back, stumbling over his own feet. Pain ran through his chest and his lungs burned, vision swimming. 

Had Techno kicked him? It wasn’t against the rules, but he didn’t know how much hand-to-hand combat the other god knew. Dream coughed, regaining his balance, only to find Techno rushing in with … a fishing rod? Something tugged on his hoodie, pulling him into the air, and he struggled as wire closed around him. What? 

Dream refocused his vision on Techno, with a fishing rod in one hand and his sword in the other. He was running, and then jumped into the air, flying faster and faster towards him, sword extended. 

No. Dream wasn’t going to lose to some god whose strategy was a fishing rod. He was better, smarter, stronger than that. Power ignited at his fingertips and he teleported out of the fishing wires, behind Techno and swung his axe down, straight for his shoulders. 

Techno disappeared and Dream turned in midair, expecting him to pull the same trick. Except, the other god wasn’t there. Something tangled around his ankle and yanked him back to the ground so hard he barely had time to react. Dream summoned water below him, stopping his fall from hurting him, and cut the fishing wire with his axe while underwater. 

Dream couldn’t win with that stupid fishing rod tactic, he had to get that off Techno and lure him into a trap. It could work. He had the power. An idea formed in his head, and he grinned under his cracking mask. 

The water around him disappeared, courtesy of the other god using his power, and Dream saw Techno swing the rod again. This time, Dream had a plan that would let him win and show off his high IQ. He let the wire fling him high into the air, watching as Techno teleported off the ground. 

Now! Dream grabbed the wire, despawning the rod and summoning TNT above him where he predicted Techno to be. He lit the fuse and teleported to the ground, gazing up to see the mid-air explosion harm the other god. 

Only, the red of the TNT was gone, and he scanned around to see it, finding it on the ground a few feet away. He lifted his shield, blocking the blast, as fire burned all the grass around him. 

The crackle filled his ears, and smoke poured from the bushes. It filled him with the same warmth and adrenaline this fight did, and Dream laughed at the destruction. Somehow it seemed right, the blood in his veins, the magic, the power. Was this what being a god was truly like? Fighting and hunting and destroying. Manipulating and Lying. Why did this feel so good?

His head fogged over, body feeling light and giddy, and even looking at his enemy didn’t cause him any fear. All he felt was excitement and happiness. This was what he was supposed to be, this is what he had been missing his whole life. Why be a god of protection when destruction felt right? Did Techno want to teach Dream this? Is this why he went rogue? 

Techno flew towards him, sword extended, and Dream was ready. They swung at the exact same time, unable to block, and a snap echoed in his ears. The mask split down the middle, falling off his face, a sting of pain running through the spot his scar was. Cooper filled his nose, and warm liquid spilled down his nose and lips. 

The other god wasn’t much better, his mask and crown had fallen off, and his hair was short, covering his neck. His bright pink eyes glared at Dream, but there was no hatred in them, only determination to win a fair duel. They weren’t true enemies, just friendly rivals, gods at odds with each other. 

Dream swung his axe again, only to find fishing wire tugging it out of his hands. He expected Techno to kick him again, hands ready to catch his leg, but he didn’t expect the kick to be so low. Instead, his feet were knocked from under him with a simple swipe. Dream fell, hitting the ground hard enough for the pain to pound through his body, and he coughed, opening his eyes. 

Standing over him, holding his Netherite Axe to his neck, was Technoblade. A god so powerful, so smart, that he’d managed to defeat him. Dream held up his hands in surrender, staring at him in awe as he tried to catch his breath. 

“Good game,” Techno said, dropping the axe to the ground and reaching a hand out. Dream hesitantly took it and was pulled to his feet. He stumbled a bit, his vision spinning from exhaustion. He hadn’t fought that seriously in a long time or used that much magic at once before. 

“Good game,” Dream responded, attempting to keep the good faith between them. In the end, Techno was a good man, and he could tell that all he wanted was the best for those he cared about and his own reputation as a god. Dream understood him better now, after they’d clashed swords. 

His vision blurred again, and his knees trembled, giving out on him. “Dream!” he heard George’s voice call out before he fell, his word turning to black.


	4. The Musician

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slower chapter. I swear things pick up soon because L'manberg is about to exist and Dream isn't happy about that. This is mostly Wilbur's backstory and setting up things to be put in motion. 
> 
> Please do consider leaving comments if you enjoy the story. I do try to reply and it gives me the motivation to write more chapters and update consistently. And in the words of our fav streamers, "it's free and you can always stop reading" haha
> 
> Thank you!

Wilbur wasn’t a hero or a god. 

He was a simple man and prided himself on his practicality and leadership as an older brother. He’d taken care of Tommy for as long as he could remember, and once Tubbo joined, he cared for the two young boys. He took responsibility for their actions. Whenever Tommy got into trouble, he always helped him and taught him the right thing to do. 

Wilbur cared about Techno too, but they weren’t nearly as close since the god often went off on his own and didn’t need much guidance. Techno did occasionally help out taking care of the younger boys, and did a good job despite his questionable stances on violence, government, and society. 

Naturally, when Techno asked Phil and Wilbur to attend his battle with the god of the Dream Smp, he was surprised. 

“I need you by my side, Wilbur. For good luck, and because you two are my family. And I need witnesses to help sign the deal for our land when I win,” Techno explained, leaning back in his chair at the dinner table. Tommy and Tubbo had gone upstairs to play games or read before bed. 

“If you win,” Wilbur corrected, shaking his head. “You don’t know how powerful this other god is, he could beat you. I would take all options into account.” God deals could even be nullified if both parties agreed. If there was a tie, he suspected that would be a nullification or a reschedule for another duel. 

Techno grinned at him, snapping his fingers. “See that’s why I need you. You’re a reasonable man, with good morals and a strong heart. Wilbur, you’re brave and you’d be the best negotiator and leader for a deal.” 

Wilbur blinked, staring at his brother. Was that true? He certainly tried his best to be someone his brothers could look to for help, someone that could have fun and be at their side. His chest filled with warmth as he shifted his gaze to his father. 

Phil smiled, nodding to him. “He’s right. You should come with us,” he said. 

“What about Tubbo and Tommy?” Wilbur didn’t want to leave the two of them behind. Knowing Tommy he’d steal some neighbors' things or try to sneak out to the watch duel anyway. Maybe Tubbo could keep him in check, but he wasn’t sure if it was good to leave them without an adult. 

“They’ll be fine for a few hours on their own. I’ll come back as soon as I’ve healed both of them with magic,” Phil decided, crossing his arms. 

Wilbur remembered the first time his dad had healed him, and the incredible power those wings held. He’d fallen down when he was little, the pain in his broken ankle so intense he couldn’t do anything but scream and cry at the top of his lungs. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stand, much less walk, the sharp pain stabbing over and over. 

Phil had shown up, white wings spread wide as he placed a hand against his ankle. His hands glowed brightly and warmth filled Wilbur’s leg until the pain slowly disappeared. The bone he’d broken and mended back into place almost immediately, and there was no leftover pain when he stood up. His dad had wrapped his wings around Wil until he stopped crying, and even flew him back to the house for a warm bath. 

Ever since then, he did research, collecting books on Angels. They weren’t rare, but said to be going extinct, as fewer and fewer were seen. That fueled Wilbur’s love of reading, and he continued to get books on all sorts of topics. 

“Okay, I’ll help you make a land treaty,” he agreed, standing from the table. “But if you don’t win the battle, that’s okay. Remember, we can still be citizens and farm.” 

“Oh.” Techno laughed, shaking his head. “I won’t lose.” 

“That’s what I like to hear!”

\----

Wilbur wasn’t a special man, not meant for anything beyond his current life. He knew that when he watched the two gods duke it out.

Maybe, deep down, he was dissatisfied with this. He’d tell himself it was fine, that he liked his family, his farm, and he did. But a simple life was a boring life, and Wilbur wanted to be remembered. 

At first, he thought he’d write books. And he did. In his late teens he’d written a few books, handing them out in villages and librarians, but he never got more than a few spare emeralds for them. He’d made a tiny, miniscule mark upon the world. 

Then maybe he could be a musician and took the guitar Phil had given him, and left the house for a while, leaving Techno in charge. He traveled to villages, playing music. Wilbur loved music, and he played well, but not well enough to leave more of a mark on the world. 

Everyone wanted to be special. And Wilbur was no exception. He wanted to be a man for the history books, someone to make history.

Techno and Dream’s duel would go down in history. An incredible, jaw-shattering, fight between two of the most powerful beings in the world. And Wilbur had a feeling this battle wasn’t even a fraction of the actual power they could wield if properly trained. That and they were holding back to not damage each other too badly or their surrounding area. 

Wilbur stayed hidden, ducked behind the treeline. Phil’s bright feathers rested against his chest, protecting him as he always would. The two of them were safe, after all, an Angel’s defense and healing magic were the strongest in the world. 

Techno gained the upper hand of Dream multiple times, the fight switching between the two. Back and forth, back and forth. It was mesmerizing. The flashes of colors, the magic, the weapons, the strategies. Wilbur admired what gods were capable of. 

The battle came to an end when Techno gained the advantage over Dream, and both gods accepted the outcome of the duel. Warm arms wrapped around Wilbur as air rushed around him. Phil had picked him up, and even with the extra weight, took off flying towards the battlefield, racing there to help. 

Phil dropped Wilbur gently and caught Dream before he fell. His friends had rushed towards, skeptical of the winged man. Their weapons were out and Techno clearly had no energy to fight them. Wilbur held his hands out, palms up. “He can heal him!” 

The young man in large white glasses, glared at him and turned to Phil and Dream, stepping closer. He was worried about his god, but there was no need. Phil’s wings and hands were glowing and he healed him, the blood from his cut disappearing, and his energy restored. “He should wake up in a few moments,” Phil said. 

“Woah,” the young man said, taking the god into his arms. “I didn’t know there were people with healing powers.”

Phil moved towards Techno, legs shaking. Wilbur rushed forward, throwing his dad’s arm over his shoulder and helping him towards his brother. Techno hadn’t passed out, but he had a cut on his arm and was exhausted. Phil moved away from Wilbur and hugged Techno, wrapping his wings around him tightly. They glowed brightly once more to heal the other god. 

Wilbur couldn’t hear what Phil said, but he knew that their father was proud of him for winning a fair duel. 

“Who are you?” Another voice asked, and Wilbur turned, face to face with a dark-haired knight, a white bandana around his forehead. 

“I’m Wilbur. Technoblade’s brother. Our father, Phil, is an Angel. He said he would heal both gods after their duel. I’m here as witness and negotiator of the land treaty between them,” he responded with the truth, eyeing the sword on his hip. The knight wouldn’t hurt Wilbur, would he? Not without his god or King’s consent, right? 

“Sapnap, George, they’re fine. Leave them be, they helped us and didn’t interrupt the duel,” Dream said, pushing himself off the ground. He flexed his fingers, stretching his arms. “Your father is a gifted healer. Thank you.” He grinned. 

Phil turned towards the god and chuckled, wings drooping on the ground. “You’re welcome. I’m heading back to care for Tommy and Tubbo, you boys take care and I’ll see you later.” 

“Wait!” Dream summoned a bottle, handing it out for the angel. “For the strength you gave me. You’ll need it to get back.” 

A strength potion, Wilbur guessed. Phil smiled and drank the bottle immediately, keeping the glass for later, and spread his wings. He took off, flying towards their farm. 

Wilbur stepped forward, towards the others and held his head taller. A warm hand rested on his shoulder, familiar and comforting. His brother had won their land back. “You did well. That was an amazing battle, both of you.” 

Techno laughed and shrugged, strapping his sword on his back. “I’m the god of violence. There was no way a peaceful city god was going to beat me. Even if he’s really smart. By the way, you had a good strategy, Dream, nice job.” 

“Thanks, your skill is good. Teach me sometime?” 

“Of course.” 

Wilbur watched the exchange with a grin. The two gods didn’t hate each other, rather a friendly interaction despite the intense duel he’d just witnessed. But now was his moment to shine, to make history. Maybe at the very least his name would be in the signed document and vaulted away for the archives. 

“Should we go to the castle to arrange the land treaty?” Wilbur suggested, starting towards the large rainbow castle in the distance. 

“Yes, right this way. There’s a meeting room for guests,” the knight with the glasses said, leading the way down the path. He poked at Dream’s shoulder. “You did good, I’m proud of you even if you lost.” 

“Thanks, George.” 

Wilbur drafted the land treaty in the meeting room, hearing what both sides had to say. In the end, Dream allowed them all of their farmland and agreed that it would stay outside of their control, free from any government influence. 

He had no idea how strong a god deal was until he witnessed it. Whenever Dream attempted to make small disagreements and accommodations, a vibrating power would echo between the two gods, and Dream would wince in pain. He would back off after that, agreeing to whatever Techno wanted. 

With the quill in hand, Wilbur scribbled down the terms the two agreed on into a book, a document that would have his signature. As proof, this went down in history. He had a minor role once again, but he could be proud of this. He’d make it the best signature he’d ever write. 

“And it’s done,” he announced, placing the book down in the middle of the table. “Techno, Dream, you both have to sign and it becomes official.” 

Dream picked up the quill and signed, drawing a small smiley face after his name, his symbol. Wilbur turned to his brother, watching him sign, his hair now down to his shoulders. It was weird, seeing him with his hair cut so short and out of any braid or ponytail. For as long as Wilbur knew him, he’d had the longest hair. A few times he was even allowed to brush and braid Techno’s soft, pink hair. Those were good memories. 

He nodded, closing the book. “The deal is over. We now have our farm. Let’s go home, Techno.” 

Dream waved to them. “You’re welcome back here anytime.” He paused. “Just no killing anymore guards.” 

Techno laughed, waving back. “I won’t. 

\---- 

Life continued on as normal for the Sleepy Bois family, a name Wilbur had come up for them, considering how much Phil, Techno, and Tubbo slept. They farmed, played games, ate dinner, read books, and of course went into town to sell their potatoes, wheat, and carrots. 

Nothing changed for a while, until a late afternoon a few months later when Phil left for a few days. Techno was also nowhere to be found, probably exploring or training in the Nether. Wilbur was left in charge of Tommy and Tubbo. 

Wilbur called his siblings down for dinner, the cooked plates steaming and ready to eat. Tubbo stepped down the stairs and took his spot. But his face was pale, worry written in his crossed eyebrows and quivering hands. 

“Where’s Tommy?” Wilbur asked, his heart dropping. Was Tommy okay? What happened to get Tubbo so upset? 

“I don’t know,” Tubbo admitted, biting his lip. “We were out farming. And he went to go talk to the neighbors but never came back.” 

“How long ago?” Wilbur put down the pan of food, taking off the apron. 

“An hour ago. I thought he’d be back by now. Do you think he found a new friend and replaced us?” 

Is that what the kid was worried about? Wilbur had an entirely different thought in his head. It ranged from Tommy being kidnapped or dead, or him just spending too long telling stories to their neighbors. He wouldn’t know until he checked. 

“Stay here,” Wilbur told Tubbo, grabbing his sword on his way out, and running down the path towards the closest house a mile down the road. It would’ve been faster had he grabbed a speed potion or had Phil to fly them, but he needed the exercise.

He spotted Tommy in the yard, behind the fence and sitting under a tree. A few bottles surrounded him. What happened? “Tommy?” 

The teenager lifted his head slowly, his eyes unfocused for a moment before he grinned. “Wilba! Wilba my brother, you really gotta try these.” Tommy laughed, handing him a bottle.

Alcohol. It smelled strong, maybe mixed with a bit of a sugar or another potion. Wilbur settled on not drinking right now, not when Tommy may be shit drunk. “How many did you-”

“Eh. Enough to feel good! Wilbur, these drugs are so cool. You know, we should set up a station. We could make and sell alcohol and potions!” Tommy struggled to get on his feet, swaying. 

Wilbur was glad that his brother was safe, but worried about his condition. He moved forward, wrapping an arm around his waist and hoisting him up, walking with him out of the gate. “Let’s go home. Some water and milk will sober you up.” 

“Wilba you didn’t listen to me,” Tommy whined, leaning into him, his face flushed. “This man sells drugs, his farm is all for this stuff.” 

The fields out behind the farmhouse were covered in rows of wheat and grapes, perfect for alcohol. There were few livestock roaming the pens. The person who lived here did in fact sell drugs in the city, and Phil occasionally bought rum and whiskey off him. He also sold more potions, but Wilbur didn’t know which kinds. 

“I know,” he responded, walking with Tommy, half-carrying him at this point. 

“But come onnnn. We should sell drugs too. For Phil, for the house. He’s been wanting to upgrade since Tubbo.” Tommy gestured in the air, words slurred still. “It would be fun. Our thing. We could build a cool shack, make our own potions and drugs. All three of us.”

Wilbur laughed, shaking his head. “Silly kid. We’re not making drugs. Come on, walk with me here.” They were not even halfway back to the house. With Tommy’s drunken and drugged movements, it was hard for him to do anything but lean all his weight on Wilbur’s side. 

“I’m tryin, Wilba, I’m tryin. But I think we should build our own place to make drugs. We should call it…” He paused, thinking on it and walking with slow, shaky steps. “Hto dog van,” he slurred. 

“Don’t you mean Hot Dog?” Wilbur held in a snicker. Drunk Tommy was so much calmer, but also cute, and funnier. 

“No. Hto dog. Keep as is. I know what I said,” he insisted. 

Wilbur wasn’t sure he did, but nodded anyway. “Alright, the Hto Dog van.” 

“So are we doing it?” 

Wilbur hesitated. On one hand, they could use the extra cash that potions would make them, and on the other, he wasn’t sure what Phil would think. Their father did his best, but he couldn’t shield them from everything. Not in this world. It would be good bonding for the three of them. And maybe, if he created a good drug empire, he’d be remembered for something more. 

“Yes! Sure, we can build a van and sell drugs. But you can’t use up our supply that goes against our money.” 

Tommy laughed and nodded, leaning against his arm. “Yesss! I’m glad. And I’ll just steal from our neighbor. I’ve been doing it for months and he hasn’t noticed.” 

Wilbur shook his head. Tommy would always be Tommy, he guessed. There was no stopping his pranks, his fast-paced thoughts, his stealing and his jokes. Phil and Wilbur had both tried talking him out of stealing and pranking, but he never listened. 

“We’ll build the van tomorrow, and I’ll go to the Nether to get blaze rods. Deal?” Wilbur glanced at Tommy. The young teen had placed all his weight on him, drooling on his shirt. He was asleep, right in front of the house. 

Wilbur grunted, kneeling down and hoisting Tommy onto his back, and half-carried, half-dragged him up the stairs and into bed. “Goodnight.” He placed the blankets on him and left him to rest. 

\----

The Hto Dog van was built swiftly. A basic two-room building on stilts raised above the ground. Stairs led to a door that went into the main room, brewing stands on the counters and a table in the middle. A small storage room sat next to the main room with some chests. 

Tubbo designed the burning Hot Dog on the top with Netherrack, and as it turned out, they didn’t have to spend a ton of time in the Nether. Techno handed them a stack of Blaze rods, saying he’d spent plenty of time in the Nether that he had enough. 

Wilbur ground the rods into powder on the table and put them all in the brewing stands. They collected all the glass and glass bottles they could find, using them to make the potions. Tommy insisted on Strength, Invisibility, and Speed potions, and left for many hours to collect the materials. 

Within a week, they had enough potions to begin selling. Wilbur grabbed a sack, placing bottles inside. He picked up the book that Tubbo had gotten him to keep track of the sales, and headed out. 

He stopped by the horses, picking out the fastest one Techno had helped breed, and saddled up. Wilbur waved at Tommy and Tubbo. “I’ll be back in two days. Phil is home, behave you two.” 

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Of course, love ya too, Wilbur!” He waved at him. 

Wilbur clicked his tongue, pulling on the reins and leaning forward, the horse galloping down the road towards the Dream SMP kingdom. He sang to himself while he traveled, thinking of the money he’d make for Phil, and the impact his drugs could have on the world. 

But when he arrived sales were low. A couple of people bought, but most people ignored a farm boy on the side of the street in the market. Wilbur would need a different tactic. He hummed and spotted a bar. Perfect. 

He stepped inside, the loud music playing from the jukebox and the colored lanterns blinked. The tables were filling up as it was evening and he would get business here. He held out his potions, strength in one, and invisibility in the other, showing them off as he walked to find a table.

Wilbur’s strategy worked, and he was stopped a few times by people who wanted to buy, to mix their drugs. 

“Selling potions now? I thought you were into music and books.” A familiar voice spoke behind him. Wilbur’s heart jumped in his chest, limbs freezing. She was here? He turned to see familiar wavy, red and green hair and bright blue eyes. 

“Sally?” He blinked, confused. It had been almost a year since he’d last seen her, and he never expected to see her again. 

“That’s me. I missed you Wilbur, but you never returned to the underwater village? Why?” She asked, taking a seat in the free booth, he sat across from her. Even in the low light, he could see the scales on her face and arms, sparkling, shining. She was just as beautiful as she was nine months ago. His face burned and his stomach fluttered. 

“I.. I had to return home. Music wasn’t getting me anywhere. What are you doing so far from home?” Wilbur asked. He knew she could shapeshift to be on land, but he missed seeing her bright pink tail. 

“I need to be here. They don’t have good doctors in the ocean.” Sally bit her lip, looking away from him. 

Wilbur’s gut froze. Was she sick? Hurt? What happened. “I’m so sorry. Did you get sick? Is it a disease, a curse?” 

Sally shook her head, but refused to meet his gaze. Wilbur placed his hand over hers. “I’m so sorry I left. I still care about you.” 

“Wilbur I… I don’t know how to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” 

“I… I’m pregnant. With your kid. He’s going to be born this week. But I can’t care for him. I thought, I thought if I never saw you again, I was going to put him up for adoption,” she said, grasping his hand tightly. 

Wilbur’s mind went blank. He stared at her dumbfounded. A child? How? He didn’t think he could even get her pregnant. He was a father? Like Phil was to them?

“What?” 

Sally nodded, her eyes watering. “Yeah, I was hoping to run into you before he was born. The fates brought you back to me. Our son deserves a father like you, Wilbur. Take care of him for me? He can’t live underwater, and I have duties to attend to back home.” 

Wilbur’s mind couldn’t keep up with the situation for a few minutes and he just sat there in silence while spoke to him and patted his hand. He didn’t think he could be a good father. He wasn’t Phil. He wasn’t ready. He was still young. And he hadn’t even done anything worthwhile to show his son. 

“I… Sally, I’m sorry. I didn’t know, I didn’t think. And now he’s going to be born in this unsafe world. How can I protect him?” 

“You’ll be great, Wilbur. I believe in you,” she grabbed the book Wilbur had set on the table and wrote something down. “Meet me there in a week, and I’ll give your son to you before I leave.” Sally stood up, kissing his cheek before he left. 

Wilbur had a week to figure out how to make history, to make a world his son could be proud of. 

Could he even do it?


	5. The Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, me again :) hope you're enjoying this. I've had fun writing it but it is long and I appreciate the comments and support so please keep that up! I should be updating twice a week now that exams are over and I've written a bit ahead. If you like this, please recommend it to others that would be super pog!!
> 
> Thank you!

Tommy knew he was a hero, the main character. The story of his friends, his family, his land, would always be centered around him. It was his fate, and nobody could stop him or say otherwise. 

When Wilbur returned from their drug operation, declaring it a bust, and returning to his room to cry, Tommy knew something was wrong. He had to cheer up Wilbur, had to convince him that there was still something about their Hto Dog van to fight for. 

“You should leave him be,” Techno warned, shaking his head at Tommy. “If Wilbur’s upset, something happened. The only one who should bother him is Phil.” 

Tommy rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. What did this pig-man even know? He spent half his time away from the house and Wilbur anyway. “Whatever. I still need to cheer him up. How inconsiderate of him to leave the potion business to me. This was supposed to be about us.”

“Techno’s right, let’s not barge in right now. We can still come up with a plan to make Wilbur happy,” Tubbo spoke up, placing a warm hand on Tommy’s shoulder. 

Tommy would try to listen to Tubbo, they were best friends, inseparable. Tommy was the main character, the hero, and Tubbo was his side-kick, his partner. He grinned and nodded, turning to his friend. “Alright, now we just need ideas. What does he like.” He paused, pacing back and forth. “Wilbur likes music. A karaoke event? Oh! We could write a book for him. A book about sex. It would be called How to Sex. Maybe even a series of them, just don’t check page 12.”

“Woah, slow down. I don’t think Wilbur wants a book called that.” Tubbo shook his head. 

“Why? It’s a reasonable book title. Plus, with all the girls he gets when he sings his songs he might need-” 

“No. Let’s let Wilbur write his own books. The karaoke idea was better.” 

Tommy pouted, but as always, Tubbo was probably right. But karaoke was boring, and they should spice it up with something. “Karaoke party? If we had a party we could sell the potions! We can have it in the city. A surprise party for Wilbur, he would love that.” 

Tubbo hummed, and he didn’t seem opposed to the idea. “Maybe.” 

“Then it’s settled, we start setting up a party in the city. We can sell the drugs and get it back on track. Even if Wilbur claims we’ll never make it as a drug company, I think we will. We just gotta try and try. Giving up is for pussies.” Tommy wasn’t going to be a coward, and he wanted this to work out. It had too.

Tubbo opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out. Instead, he nodded and excused himself to go start cooking more potions and preparing ideas for the karaoke party. 

Tommy crept up the stairs as quietly as could, he didn’t want Wilbur to hear him. From inside the closed door of his brother’s room, voices could be heard, muffled. He frowned and put his ear against the wall near the door. 

“I don’t know how to care for this kid. How did you do it? There are four of us. I don’t know how to protect him,” Wilbur ranted, his voice cracking and heavy with tears.

“You’ll be okay. I can teach you, and hey, you may not see it but you’ve been more of a father to Tommy and Tubbo than you think.” The second voice was Phil, soft and comforting as he always was. 

“Phil, this world is cruel. He needs to be safe. I… I don’t know what to do. He’s my son,” Wilbur stuttered. 

“First, try to calm down. I know you didn’t anticipate this and it was thrown on you, but that’s how life works. It will be okay. I’m here to help you. So are your brothers, you can trust us.”

Tommy pushed away from the wall, nearly stumbling on his way back to his room. A son? Wilbur was a father? With who? And when were they going to get to see the baby? Would this child look like Wilbur or the mother? Were they ever going to meet this lady?

Why was Wilbur upset then? Weren’t babies supposed to be good or something? Cute and happy? Phil always seemed happy when he was a kid, especially around him. Or maybe Tommy was still too young to understand. How was he supposed to help Wilbur when he didn’t understand the problem? 

He paced his room, glancing at the hand-me-down clothes he was given from Wilbur. He knew his brother was searching for a way to make history, and Tommy wanted a way to be the hero he knew he was. If he couldn’t be a hero by selling drugs, there had to be something else he could do that would help his brother, his family. 

They won their land back from the Dream SMP Kingdom. It was theirs to do whatever they wanted. From this deal, he knew that they had access to the extra, undeveloped land. Tommy turned to the window, staring out at the forest beyond the farm fields. That was where they built the Hto Dog van, it was where they had freedom. 

A spark of electricity ran through Tommy as an idea popped into his head. He knew exactly how to achieve both Wilbur’s goal and his own. It would kill two birds with one stone. An idea that would make history. He grabbed a book that Wilbur used to read to him about a great writer who helped achieve freedom for his kingdom. 

“Yes!” He cheered, holding the book up in the air as if it were glowing. “I know what to do.” 

But in order for it to work, he had to wait for Wilbur to cheer up before he could tell him his idea. In the meantime, he could start building with Tubbo. Racing down the stairs at lightning speed, Tommy went to find his brother, his heart pounding. The words bubbled in his throat, begging to be said, but he had to wait so that Wilbur didn’t hear. 

The van. Tubbo was in the van. 

“Tubbo! I have an idea!”

\-----

Tommy didn’t mind physical work, unlike some other lazy kids. Now, as the hero, he probably should have gotten someone to work for him, but working gave him something to do. It allowed him to move and talk while his brain raced. He spent the next several days with Tubbo, Techno, and Phil cutting down some of the trees in the forest and leveling the ground. 

Tubbo left for a few days to gather the sand and dye to build the walls and returned on the day Wilbur was supposed to return from the city with the baby. They started to build the walls while they waited. Phil seemed nervous and excited at the same time, and Techno spent part of the day helping their father stay calm. 

Wilbur returned in the evening, just after dinner. He stepped through the door, shimming out of his boots, and walked through the hallway. Phil was the first to greet him. 

“Hello, Wilbur. We saved you some food. How are you? How’s the little one?” Phil asked, his voice soft and calm. 

Tommy peeked through the doorway, leaning against the wall to get a better look. Wilbur’s eyes were red and puffy, but in his arms was a small creature bundled in a black blanket. He smiled for Phil and silently handed him the baby, turning into the kitchen and walking right past Tommy. He slouched down at the table and began to eat the food leftover for him. 

Phil gazed between the sleeping baby and Wilbur. Techno stood at Phil’s side, opening his arms. Their father passed the baby to Techno and went to the table to comfort and talk to his son. 

Tommy moved forward with curiosity, inspecting the child in the blankets. He frowned. It wasn’t a human baby. Tiny, fluffy orange ears poked out from ginger hair. The child had pale skin, but a larger nose, built for sniffing out strong scents. 

“Yes, Tommy, he’s another halfling, like me. I’d guess half-fox. Strange, considering Wilbur has only spoken of a salmon shapeshifter. But I suppose this world is special,” Techno murmured, kneeling to allow him a better look. 

The baby was rather cute, small, and fragile. He could see why Wilbur wanted to protect him. “He’ll grow?” Tommy knew everyone grew up, but it was interesting to see a baby so tiny being a person one day. 

Techno nodded and then thought about it. “He’ll probably grow faster than human children. He might be a teen after a year or two since he’s a fox halfling,” he murmured. 

“What? Really?” Tommy frowned, glancing at the tiny form and then back at Techno. “Did you grow up faster too?” 

“Maybe? You know the story, I appeared in the desert as a kid. I’m not sure if I was even born. I don’t remember.” The god shrugged and walked into the kitchen. Tommy followed, and Wilbur seemed more stable after Phil’s comfort and food. 

“Hey guys, sorry about earlier.” Wilbur took the child back into his arms. “Meet Fundy. Sally named him, but I agreed.” He chuckled. “He’s very cute and shy right now. Oh, don’t put your fingers near his mouth. He has some fangs and might bite you.” 

Phil laughed, and Fundy woke up, yawning and showing the sharp teeth Wilbur had mentioned. His eyes were wide and bright orange as the kid scanned the people. His eyes were on Phil’s wings, and he reached out. Phil grinned and moved his wings, to allow Fundy to touch the feathers. Instead, Fundy latched on with sharp claws and yanked out some feathers. 

Phil winced, but managed to laugh it off, waggling a finger. “Silly kid. Wilbur, he’s going to be a prankster. He’ll get along with Tommy well, don’t you think?” He teased. 

“Sorry about that,” Wilbur apologized, tapping on Fundy’s nose. “You weren’t supposed to do that.” 

Fundy made a noise, but it wasn’t close to a word, maybe a laugh? Tommy couldn’t be sure with a kid who didn’t know how to speak, but if Techno was right, it wouldn’t be long before he picked up words. 

Now it was time for Tommy to surprise Wilbur. “Wilbur! We have a surprise for you, in fact, Tubbo is working on it right now. Come on!” He grabbed his brother’s free hand, tugging him towards the back door. “See I came up with this grand idea to help both of us.” 

“What?” Wilbur stumbled slightly and passed Fundy to Phil just in case. “Slow down, Tommy.” 

Tommy couldn’t slow down, not with his mind and heart racing with the idea, with the plan he’d created. It was the first idea in his life he was really proud of. He pulled on Wilbur’s arm some more, dragging him towards the forest past the farm fields.

Small walls made of black and yellow sand stood, all around a large perimeter, and as they stepped through the opening, in the center was the Hto Dog van. Wilbur’s eyes glanced around at the barren land where they’d cut the trees down, and at the walls beginning to tower around them. Tubbo spotted them and climbed down a ladder and ran to greet them. 

“You guys did all this? For me? What.. is this?” Wilbur asked, glancing between Tubbo and Tommy. 

“This is our new home. Our land, the land we earned in that deal, is going to be our own country! We’re building these walls, like the walls around a large city or castle to keep you and your son safe. Wilbur, remember the book you’d always read to me. The man in that book created his own country. He was a writer like you, who had a son like you, a son he wanted to protect. Wilbur, this is our time to make history. All we have to do is declare our land to be a country, we already own this outside of Dream SMP.” 

Tommy bounced on his toes, waiting for all the information he’d spilled to Wilbur to come crashing down. His heart beat fast in his chest, and he watched his brother, his family, carefully for a reaction. 

Wilbur stared at the walls and the Hto Dog van, and then at Tommy, his eyes softening. 

“Tommy, you are something else, you know that? I love it! Our own country, separate from Dream SMP.” He grabbed Fundy from Phil, hugging the child close. “We’ll build tall and thicker walls to keep out monsters and enemies. I can protect Fundy, and he can grow up inside and safe.” He laughed. “I’ll finally go down in history for creating a nation with my family. This is perfect! You’re a real hero, Tommy.” Wilbur ruffled his hair. 

Tommy stood taller, lifting his head as he laughed with his brother, grinning. His chest filled with warmth. He’d done something good, something his brother was proud of him. And he was glad his idea paid off in the end. 

“What should our nation be called, Tommy? See we’re all men here, women are nice and good and can be allowed inside our nation, but they’ve deserted us time and time again.” Wilbur hummed, gazing at the walls. “We need a good name, it must be named after it’s great founders.”

“Why don’t we call it Manberg?” Tommy offered. 

“It needs something more. How about... L’manberg.” 

“L’manberg,” Tommy repeated and burst into laughter, his brothers began to laugh as well. “It’s great!”

“And the walls. They’re black and yellow. Striking colors to strike fear into the hearts of our enemies. Anyone who dares to stop us.” 

“Like a bee!” Tommy grinned. “We could make a bee statue. Bees in our berg!” 

“BEES!” Tubbo gasped. “Oh my god, I love bees.”

The whole group burst out laughing, and it was the happiest Tommy had ever seen Wilbur. This nation, this revolution, was the best idea they’d ever have. 

“Viva la Revolution!” Tommy shouted, holding up a fist. 

\----

The weeks passed by smoothly with Wilbur, Tubbo, and Tommy working on expanding the Hto Dog van to have a living section for Wilbur and Fundy. And the walls around L’manberg tripled in size, and outlined a decent portion of land in which they had plans to build another, larger house. 

Techno was correct about Fundy, for he grew in record speed, as foxes do, and soon began to talk and run around inside the walls. He was quite the troublemaker, and Tommy taught him all the best tricks for pranking, stealing, and destroying things. It was rather fun, even when Phil had to reprimand them.

Fundy was often cared for by Phil or babysat by Tommy, as Wilbur became too busy to care for him after a while. He was often gone, getting supplies for their nation or selling potions. And one day, Wilbur returned with someone important. 

“I’d like you guys to meet, Eret, King of the Dream SMP. He’s here to help draft the constitution of L’manberg and the terms of revolution. He said he’s willing to give us our freedom, as long as we supply his knights with potions.” 

Eret waved at them and held out his hand in front of Tommy. Tommy shook, staring at the crown on his head. He was the real deal, wasn’t he? Unlike Techno’s fake crown he wore for show. Was he really going to officiate their own country?

“That’s awesome! Get started then, we don’t have all day,” Tommy grinned, welcoming the King into the Hto Dog van’s main meeting room. 

Wilbur opened a fresh book, pulling out a bottle of ink and a quill, sitting down at the table. Eret took a seat in front of him. “I officially call this the creation of L’manberg meeting. We are serious about using our land to create a new nation, not a kingdom, outside of the Dream SMP land.” 

Small, fast footsteps echoed across the wooden floors, and a small orange and black blur ran towards Wilbur. Fundy jumped up and down, his tail swaying. “Dada, you’re back! I made a color picture for you. Lookie!” 

Wilbur glanced at Fundy and shook his head. “Not right now, please. How about you go show gramps?” He dismissed him, pointing towards the door. “I’m in the middle of an important meeting.” 

Fundy’s ears flattened and his tail drooped. “Oh,” he said, glancing at the door and leaving the room with his drawing. Tommy’s chest ached, and had he not been Wilbur’s brother and right-hand man, he would’ve gone after the kid. He felt bad for him. 

Wilbur cleared his throat and picked up the quill, beginning to write. “ _ This book declares that the nation which shall be henceforth known as L’Manberg is separate, emancipated and independent from the kingdom of Dream SMP. The right of the people exists above the right of the king. From the Hto Dog van we shall prevail.”  _

It was written into the book of independence, word for word, and Tommy felt pride spark through his chest. He’d helped Wilbur get this far, his right hand in this revolution, this independence. 

His brother had finally achieved history, and Tommy was his hero. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, from now on, I will be directly quoting certain lines from the roleplay and script because there are iconic lines that are too good not to have. All credit goes to the streamers for the script/improv!


	6. Declaration of War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to update 2 times a week for a while! I hope you guys are enjoying it!! Recommend to friends and comments are super supportive to help me keep writing! This has been fun to write so far. Also if you have any fanfic recommendations feel free to let me know. I'm also an active reader.

“You again?” Dream wasn’t happy to be woken up by Technoblade for the second time. What more could he want? They weren’t on bad terms, per se, but it was weird for it to happen a second time. “You know, if you asked to be let in, you would be. You don’t have to teleport to my door.” 

He rolled his eyes, shrugging on his coat. He didn’t have time to slip the repaired mask on, but it didn’t matter. Dream didn’t care if the other god saw his face, not after their fight. “What is it?” 

Techno leaned against the wall, inspecting a potato in his hand. He tossed it to Dream, who caught it. “I came to warn you.” 

“About?” Dream raised his eyebrow, setting the potato down. 

“My brothers. They’re creating a nation, separate from Dream SMP. They’ve declared independence and will set up their own government.” Techno pushed off the wall, stepping forward. 

“It’s their land, they can do what they want with it. I thought our little deal made that clear,” Dream said. What was the big deal again? Hadn’t they fought so they could have their own land, free from the kingdom? 

“You don’t understand. Dream, it’s a new government. I can’t have a government on my land. They’ll ruin the farm, the business. Didn’t I already tell you how much I hate governments?” 

To be fair, Techno had ranted at him last time about his hatred for any ruling party. Dream at the time didn’t care, but now, there was something different about him. He’d changed during the fight, like a part of him had awoken. Now he was bored, nothing was fun anymore, even time with George and Sapnap had gotten dull.

His mind, his body craved something he didn’t fully understand. But Techno did, and he could help, help him feel better. 

“Alright. What do you want me to do about it?” Dream asked, crossing his arms. “We can’t go back on a signed contract.” 

“True. Tell me. Have you felt different since our duel?” Techno asked, tapping on his temple. He walked around Dream in a circle. 

How did he know? Ice ran through his veins and he paused, debating what to say. If he told the truth, would Techno help him, or would he deny him? Was it safe to reveal that he felt like something was missing? 

“Look, I’m only trying to help both of us. I know you don’t trust me, and I don’t blame you, but we’re on the same side,” Technoblade said, a grin appearing on his face. 

“I.. I do. Something is missing. I feel cold, dull. Nothing is fun. Hunting monsters is the closest I can get to that… that feeling,” Dream admitted. He wanted to do more, to do something. But he couldn’t pinpoint what. 

“You’re a god, like me. We are powerful, and that power comes from chaos. From destruction. Did you know, we can feed on fear? The fear of others, the power over others. That’s why I killed those guards, that’s what you felt when you exploded the land. You know this, subconsciously. Did you think it was a mere coincidence you named your axe Nightmare?” Techno paused, picking up the axe, inspecting the sharp blade. “No. You know, deep down.” 

Was he right? Dream was supposed to be a good friend, a protector to the land. He wasn’t supposed to just kill people like the other god. The citizens needed him, his help, his power. But it was almost annoying now. He was meant for more, he had to be. 

“I do.” He admitted, warmth rising in his chest. Ideas started swarming in his head, and he took the axe from Techno’s hands. “We declare war. War against L’manberg. We give them a chance to surrender, and if they don’t we hurt them, destroy the land.” He grinned, his heart pounding in his ears. 

“Yes. Perfect.” Techno turned, jumping on the window ledge, his cape fluttering in the breeze. “I’ll leave you to it. Oh, and Dream.”

“Yeah?”

“If you need any supplies, let me know. There’s no need to cheat all the time. Also, don’t tell my brothers I warned you. They can’t know I’m on your side, for obvious reasons.” Techno waved and jumped off the window. 

“Of course,” Dream agreed and pulled on his mask. He had a war to start and plans to make. 

Oh, this would be fun!

\----

“You want me to do what?” Eret asked, frowning as he stepped off his throne towards Dream. 

“If they think the King is on their side they won’t suspect a trap. They won’t know you’re a fake ally. Listen, a new country is a threat to our kingdom. They could steal our business, our citizens, our land. I’m doing my job, Eret, and I’m protecting my people. I’m a god, you’re just a king. I do hope you understand your position in this situation, don’t you?” Dream explained, grinning behind the mask.

He stood there, staring at the throne behind Eret, chest warming at the plan he had in mind. He narrowed his eyes on the king. He had no power, not compared to the godly power in his veins. Gods were supreme rulers, and the royal family meant nothing to Dream. Eret was a pawn in this game, this board he was setting up. If it went as planned, L’manberg would be no more, and he would have ultimate control. 

“Of course. I understand, Dream. I can … pretend to be their ally and betray them. On your signal? Correct?” Eret nodded, glancing between the god and his throne. 

“Yes. You’re a good builder. I’ll need you to build this for me.” Dream pulled out a sheet of paper. He’d drawn out blueprints for an underground chamber of death. It was inescapable, with different chambers to catch them if they tried to run, and pistons to close the walls in. A well-designed plan where George, Sapnap, and him would be able to run in and kill them. A sneak attack. 

Eret’s eyes scanned over the paper and he rolled it up, nodding. “I can do that. And you’re sure this is a good idea?” 

Dream laughed, stepping back. “It’s the best idea ever, written by yours truly. If they don’t die, they’ll be injured enough to surrender. This is our key to winning the war. Stick to the plan Eret, and you’ll have a stronger reputation as King and more power. I promise.” He paused, walking past Eret. 

Dream pat his shoulder, whispering into his ear. “Now, off you go. I heard Wilbur’s in town selling potions.” 

\----

“Declaration of War? Dream, are you sure this is a good idea? You’re asking us to send our men into battle against a nation we could be allies with.” George sounded hesitant, staring at the book and quill in front of them. 

“We have too. Technoblade warned me they’re a threat to our nation, our business, our people. If we don’t stop them, our Kingdom could be in grave danger. They have good combat skills and lots of potions. The citizens need protection, and that’s our job. As a god, and knights of the Dream SMP.” He explained, his lips pulling into a smirk and hidden by the mask.

This was exciting, power boiling in him. Lying was easier now, convincing people to do things, using fear to control them. He never knew his power could be used to lie. It was like magic, a sort of dark, chaotic magic that pushed on people’s fears, on their love and their morals.

Techno had sent Dream a letter after his visit, explaining that each god had different magic other than creative mode. A personalized power. Techno’s was his bloodlust, the power to kill targets in one or two hits. His accuracy was a part of his power. In the letter, he guessed that Dream’s had something to do with lies and manipulation due to his mask. 

At first, Dream didn’t understand what that meant, but he’d stared at the mask for a long time and it came to him. Masks hid people, their emotions, their intentions. Masks had the power to hide the truth and scare others. If fear was the strongest motivator, it could control others. Techno was right, and he could feel it in his bones. 

He picked up the quill, writing down that the Dream SMP officially declared war on L’manberg. Dream paused, thinking about his next words. He needed to scare them but threats on paper were usually ignored. He would have to visit them. 

Tonight when he delivered this. 

“Sign it. George, Sapnap, I’m going to need all the help I can get. I trust you guys. You’re my friends, after all,” he said, voice soft, caring. He did care about them, but something had changed. Dream didn’t know what had changed yet, but he’d eventually figure out why he felt different this time. 

George put a hand on his shoulder. “We’re with you. Whatever you need.” 

“Supplies. We’ll need weapons and good soldiers. Get the top knights assembled. Punz and Ponk are good candidates for this war. Make sure we get Netherite and diamonds for armor and weapons.” Dream turned to Sapnap, the fire symbol reminding him of a plan. He grinned. “Oh, and Sapnap, I’m going to need you to get a stack of flint and steel. We’ll be burning their houses and trees.” 

At this, Sapnap smiled, cracking his knuckles. “Finally, something I’m good at. You know me well, Dream. I’m glad we’re besties!” 

Of course. They were friends. But Dream was using them. Was that good or bad? He didn’t know yet, only that he hoped his friends wouldn’t turn on him. 

He put a fist in the middle. “Dream Team on three?” 

George laughed, nodding as he put his fist it. “One.” 

Sapnap followed. “Two.” 

“Three. Dream Team!” 

It was settled. They were going to war. 

\----

Dream set out late afternoon the next day, on the back of his favorite horse named Spirit, a horse given to him when he first arrived in the castle. Fast and tame, he loved this animal more than any other pet in the Dream SMP. He patted the horse's mane, the fur soft and warm under his hands, and climbed on his back, setting out on the trail. 

Plus, he could sense the faint trace of Techno’s power on the wind, after all, it was his land, his home. Following the pig’s scent wasn’t hard. Dream had no interest in teleporting or flying. Cheating all the time was boring, especially when he would rather spend time with Spirit out on the open trail. 

In his bag was the book, the Declaration of War, that he would personally hand to the so-called “leaders” of revolution. Then he would deliver his message, a speech of fear, using his power. The more magic, the more hate in his voice, the stronger the effect. He could make them surrender with words alone. 

With Spirit’s speed, he made it to a piece of land with large black and yellow walls just after sunset, and as it got dark, the torches and lanterns that lit the place flickered on. An archway to the country was grand, and in the center was a van with burning Netherrack in the shape of a Hot Dog. 

Dream dismounted and tied a rope to a nearby tree to keep Spirit there, and walked towards the van. 

Someone had spotted him and ran towards him, someone rather small. A child? The young boy had fluffy orange ears and an orange and white tail. He had bright orange eyes that glowed in the dark and claws. A fox? A halfling like Techno by the looks of it. Dream suspected that he was only around seven years old, but he would grow fast due to how fast fox pups grew up. He might’ve been born only a month ago. 

“Are you another visitor? Dada says there’s a guest house. I can show you!” He grinned, jumping up and down. 

Dream wasn’t that good with kids. “Um, actually I’m not here to stay. I have to deliver something to Wilbur. Can you go get him for me? Tell him Dream’s here and to get the other leaders.” 

“You mean Dada?” The boy sighed. “I’ll get him. But he doesn’t listen to me sometimes.” 

“He’ll listen. Now please?” 

The fox trampled off into the van. Since when did Wilbur have a son? Dream must’ve missed that part, but it didn’t matter. Hopefully, the kid wouldn’t be in the war anyway. 

After a few minutes of waiting, Wilbur exited the van along with two teenagers Dream had never seen before. The shorter one had brown hair and blue eyes, and seemed nervous, while the taller one had light blond hair and held a sword out. His stance was weak, but he seemed ready to fight, his eyes narrowed. 

Dream dropped the book down in front of Wilbur, hands on his hips. “Read it.” 

Wilbur frowned. “‘Dream SMP declares war on L’manberg?’” He read, tilting his head. “That doesn’t make sense. We have Eret in our ranks. He’s been helping us for a week now, and said nothing about this.” 

“Oh, Eret didn’t know about this. He didn’t order this, I did. Eret betrayed us, you see, and the citizens are mad at him for helping you. He’s been staying here with you ever since, has he not? He’s lost his crown. I’m the King now!” Dream pushed magic into his words, the lies rolling off his tongue. He could manipulate them. If this worked, he could have control of the war, the outcome. It would lead them to his trap. 

“You fucktard. You can’t tell us what to do. You gave us this land, remember? You’re just a lying asshole who wants power. Get off our land, you green bitch,” the blond teen boy yelled, pointing his sword at him. 

Wait. Why didn’t the power work on him? He could see the younger, shorter teen trembling with fear, and even Wilbur seemed concerned, his face paler than normal. But this kid? Something was up. 

“Tommy, hold on. Dream, he has a point. You gave us this land. So what if we build a country?” Wilbur asked. 

No. No. The stupid kid was going to ruin everything. Why wasn’t he afraid? 

This required more emotion, more power and fear. “Our citizens  _ hate  _ you! You’re stealing our potions and farming businesses, our money. I did  _ not  _ give you land to have you ruin my fucking kingdom,” Dream growled. 

“No. Fuck you, bitch boy. We’ll fight back. Right Wilbur? This is our country. Viva la Revolution!” Tommy yelled, raising his sword into the air. 

Wilbur eyed the kid and then Dream. He held his head high. “We accept your proposal for war. Let the best country win.” He turned to leave. 

_ Dammit. _ Dream glared at Tommy, unsure why he didn’t listen, why the magic didn’t work. He would need to look into this issue further.

He had one more shot to instill fear into them, his heart racing in his chest. He got on his horse, pulling the reins as he stopped Wilbur and Tommy from going into the van. He slipped off his mask so they could see his dark eyes and angry expression to give it more of an effect. 

“ _ We are at war. We have NO MERCY! NO MERCY FOR YOU! We will BURN everything inside your walls and we will take back this land that is rightfully ours. I want to see WHITE FLAGS, white flags outside your base. OR YOU ARE DEAD!”  _

Dream poured as much as he could into his statement, leaving his head foggy and vision spinning by the end of his speech. His words echoed off the walls around them, surrounding them in the valley. 

The three men in front of him stood in shock, their faces pale. Even Tommy seemed terrified at that. Perfect. It had worked. 

Dream clicked his tongue, telling Spirit it was time to go, running out of L’manberg’s walls. He passed Techno on his way, giving him a nod. Once he was far enough away, he slouched, leaning against Spirit’s long neck. 

“Take me home, boy,” he whispered to the horse and fell asleep. 


	7. Revolution Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another update! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I will be updating after the holidays! Enjoy.

After Dream’s declaration of war, Wilbur was quickly elected into the spot of General, with Tommy as his right-hand soldier. 

He needed to get his tiny country prepared for war. While they had potions to spare and plenty of building materials, they were low on weapons and armor. He wrote a list and handed it to Tubbo, Tommy, and Eret. He could trust them. Well, mostly. 

Wilbur suspected Tommy would steal materials from others in the city or Techno. Speaking of, their brother wasn’t around much, the god likely doing his own thing in the Nether or in another secret base far away. He missed him but wasn’t surprised considering he preferred being on his own than with family or friends all the time. 

But Wilbur had a problem. How the fuck was he supposed to beat a god in war? He’d seen the way Dream fought, he knew what the man was capable of, and his research scared him even more. Gods were extremely hard to kill, outsmart, or defeat. They had powers, beyond creative mode, magic that when tapped could do terrible damage. Techno’s was his perfect accuracy in combat, something Wilbur made note of when they were younger. 

Dream had a power too, but Wilbur couldn’t deduce it as easily. It was fear-based though, he could guess that much. When the god threatened their nation the other day, Wilbur almost shit his pants. Dream was terrifying, a complete nightmare that would haunt them, even while awake. 

What could he possibly do to stop a god and the knights? This very war seemed impossible. The only thing keeping Wilbur going was the idea of his own spot in history, keeping Fundy safe, and Tommy. 

Tommy, his wild younger brother. Tommy, who didn’t seem to fear anything. Tommy, who had the drive to fight. He pushed all of them, rallied them against the Dream SMP when they needed it the most. He called himself a hero, but maybe he wasn’t joking. Could he actually be chosen by the world itself?

Wilbur scribbled that in his notes, in his to-do list. He needed to research that before he confirmed anything or talked to his brother about it.

Something tugged at his uniform coat-tails and Wilbur glanced down at Fundy, the young boy bouncing on his feet. “Can we play catch or tag soon? You promised,” the kid pleaded, fluffy tail swishing happily. 

Wilbur normally would dismiss the child, but maybe some time away from his work would do him good for ideas. He nodded, picking Fundy up and patting his hair. “We can play catch, sure!” He grinned, stopping in the back of the Hto Dog van to pick up his favorite ball out of the chest. 

He stepped outside, the cool breeze blowing through his curls, and his son squirmed in his arms until he let him down on the grass. Wilbur threw the ball, and Fundy scrambled to catch it. He grabbed it and threw it back to him, but the ball didn’t go very far and Wilbur laughed. 

“Try putting more power into it. I know you have strength. Tommy’s been teaching you to fight with the wooden swords, no?” He offered some advice.

“Yea!” Fundy nodded, taking the ball in his hands, careful not to pop it with his claws, and threw it again. 

The ball soared into the air and Wilbur had to jump to catch it. “Nice job!” 

The wind shifted and the smell of smoke filled Wilbur’s nose. What was on fire? He turned around, seeing a large amount of gray and black smoke rising from the trees on the hills outside the walls. What?

He dropped the ball, scooping up Fundy to see what was going on. Wilbur ran out of the safety of the walls to find the forest burning, the animals scrambling away. He squinted, making out a tall knight in a white uniform using flint and steel on every tree, burning it down. 

“Stop!” Wilbur stumbled forward, coughing. He stopped at the fireline, not wanting to go further with Fundy in his arms. The kid was trembling, watching the forest go up in flames, and even more scared when a fox scampered past them, fleeing. 

The Knight turned towards Wilbur, his eyes aglow with the flames, a flame symbol engraved on his enchanted chest plate. “Dream warned you to surrender. This is what happens when you don’t listen to us.” 

Wait, Wilbur recognized that knight, that voice. It was Dream’s buddy. Sapnap. And he was burning down the forests so they had no animals, no trees, and no land. A dirty move, but it meant they’d already started the war. 

“Dad, please leave. I’m scared.” Fundy muttered, burying his face in Wilbur’s shoulder. 

“Surrender now, before your kid has to see full-blown war,” Sapnap said, clicking his tongue. He shook his head, eying the kid. “Poor thing.”

Wilbur ignored him and ran back into the safety of the walls, putting Fundy into bed in the back of the Hto Dog van. “I’m sorry, Fundy. I have work to do. Stay here until Phil comes home.” 

He raced off, leaving the trembling, frightened kid all alone. 

\----

The Dream Team didn’t stop there. Over the next month, L’manberg was ambushed multiple times. 

Wilbur had built houses for incoming citizens, and a small shop, all of which were burned down by Sapnap or Dream. The wall on the left side had a giant hole from where a canon had been placed outside and set off for a warning shot. And there were towers of lava and stone surrounding the walls of L’manberg. 

Time after time they were hit. Things were destroyed, burnt, stolen. Some citizens had been injured and other people who had joined their nation had fled out of fear. 

Wilbur was running out of ideas and out of time. Dream was getting impatient, and Wilbur feared having a full on battle with them for multiple reasons. But they had too, or Dream would find a way to destroy everything and force them to come out from hiding behind the walls. He had no real plan, and could only rely on their strength as a team. 

Even his own son, now older by a few years, joined in the war effort, as they had no choice and they needed another fighter. Wilbur wanted to keep him from getting hurt or dying no matter what still. 

He gathered a meeting. Tubbo, Tommy, Eret and Fundy joined him in the Hto Dog van, circled around the main table. Wilbur pointed out the windows. “We’ve been under attack for weeks, and I’m sorry. I’ve failed you as a general up until now, because I didn’t know how to beat a god at war. I was researching, and fortifying our defenses up until now.” He paused, turning to Tommy. 

“I believe your hero talk isn’t a joke or a bit anymore. The world has chosen you as a hero, to fight against Dream. I think this is fate, Tommy. Our creation of the drug empire and L’manberg was meant to be.” Wilbur knew this to be true. He’d gathered all the books he could, and read about heroes, about how the world centers them, counts on them, gives them luck. 

“We need you, Tommy. You may not be the best at building, or frankly fighting, but luck is on your side. If Dream is antagonizing us, killing people, destroying property, he’s gone rogue, and you’re the hero,” Wilbur explained, placing a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder. 

He slid a book into the middle of the table with his free hand. “Our strategy. There are a few towers between here and Dream SMP city. They were built as Knight watchtowers. If we can grab one from them, we’ll have the high ground. An advantage. We need to put all our energy into this battle. Everything we have goes into securing the tower.” He curled his hand into a fist. 

Tommy stared at him in silence and then grinned. “We can do this, Wilbur! We can make L’manberg real, your dream real.” He bounced on his feet, voice rasing. “The revolution has begun boys! Let’s do this!” He yelled, racing towards the chests that they’d filled with armor and weapons over the past month. 

His attitude, his hope, was as contagious as ever, and lifted the other members up. Eret, normally relaxed, seemed ready for battle, excited even to be working with them. Tubbo ran after Tommy. The two were always stuck together, fighting for each other. And Wilbur’s own son, still young, was sharpening his claws, his ears and nose alert for battle. 

This would work, this had too. It was their first offensive stand against a god. Wilbur’s stomach curled and his palms were so sweaty he could barely hold a weapon steadily. He was scared, nervous, and excited. He wanted to make history and be successful, not die trying. If they could win against Dream, it would show the world how strong, how smart Wilbur and his family were. 

“Fuck that green bitch. We’re gonna win, boys!” Tommy screeched, storming out the door with a backpack full of supplies. 

Wilbur laughed, watching his team fill out the door after gathering their things. He sighed, looking around at the Hto Dog van one last time. “Ready as I’ll ever be.” He muttered, nodding to himself. 

They grabbed horses and headed towards the battlefield, knowing that Dream would follow or be waiting for them. It would be a hard battle, but they could do it. Fundy rode with Wilbur, clinging to him, the whole time. The kid was just as scared but learned over the past months to hide it. 

Wilbur didn’t want his son in this war, but they were low on men, which meant even Fundy counted as amongst their ranks. As a father, he hated it. As a general, a leader, it had to be done. 

They rode into battle, the tower casting its shadow over them as arrows, fire and enchanted, rained down on them. “Dodge and weave!” Wilbur ordered. “Get closer to the tower, it’ll be harder for them to shoot us.” He tugged on the reins of the horse, leaning side to side as he avoided the arrows.

Tommy was ahead of him, and miraculously, had to dodge very little, the arrows landing on either side of the ground around him. Wilbur’s research was right. He was lucky and would be as long as Dream stood as a foe. 

Wilbur was so busy watching his brothers that an arrow hit his horse. The horse whined and bucked. Wilbur grabbed Fundy and jumped off, running towards the tower with their weapons out. He tried to shoot at the top of the tower, but arrows were hard to get up due to gravity, so it didn’t go very far. 

A loud boom echoed up ahead, and Wilbur stumbled, the ground shaking as more explosions went off. “Tommy!” He screamed, worried about his brother. He couldn’t hear him, but Tommy had not been hit. Tubbo was struggling with an injured leg, but he pulled out a healing potion and drank it. Tommy was hitting arrows away from Tubbo, protecting him. 

Wilbur sighed, relieved his family was alright. The grass and bushes and trees were burning from the arrows and explosions. Fundy rushed ahead towards the tower, following Eret into battle. Surprisingly, the fox part of him had really good instincts and was able to sense TNT explosions or arrows, and weaved in between the chaos. 

Wilbur ran after them, hitting away some arrows, while others bounced off his armor. They were doing this. He couldn’t give them orders over the ringing in his ears and the crackle of fires, but the boys knew the plan, and Tommy was bringing them luck. It was going to work. 

One of Dream’s friends, George, ran up to Wilbur, his sword extended. Wilbur ducked, swinging at him, and the clang of metal vibrated his arm. Their swords both glowed with enchantments. Wilbur kicked, as he’d seen Techno do, and knocked George off balance. He swung, about to get a clean hit in when a flash of a green orb went off. Ender pearls. He was gone. 

In his place was the masked man himself. Wilbur gulped. He couldn’t have a one-on-one with Dream. That was an extremely bad idea. 

“You can stop this. Surrender now.” Dream said, voice clear despite the chaos around them. 

Wilbur couldn’t. Not now, not after everything they’d been through. He ducked past the god, sprinting for the tower. “No you don’t.” He heard Dream growl from behind him, and a tight hand was on his wrist, tugging him back, throwing him to the ground. He coughed, pushing up on shaking legs. He glanced up, seeing that Tommy, Tubbo and Eret had made it to the top of the tower. He raised his hand, waving it back and forth. 

“That better be the signal to surrender.” Dream held his axe up to Wilbur. 

“You wish,” Wilbur spat. 

Dream swung, and Wilbur barely had enough time to duck under the blade, but the second he did, the god had a crossbow out. He shot him point blank in a weak spot in his armor. Pain pierced through him, white, intense pain that made his vision go spotty and blurry for a few seconds. He dropped to the ground, leg crumpling underneath him. Dream kicked him once in the side, intensifying the pain. He screamed, a few tears pricking at the edges of his eyes. 

Wilbur grit his teeth, trying to get his mind to focus. What was next? What could he do next? He glared up at the masked god. “You… are a coward. Hiding behind your power, your mask. Wanting us to surrender. Fight like a man.” He seethed, voice scratchy and heavy with pain. 

He couldn’t move without the wound flaring up in white-hot pain. But Wilbur did have a few spare Ender Pearls, he could teleport away and use a healing potion. That had to be the plan. 

“Are you trying to get a reaction? Get me angry? Distracted?” Dream laughed. “You’re a good writer, I must admit. Now, it works in books, but I do read, Wilbur. You know, in another world, we’d be good friends. We still can, actually, if you surrender.” 

From above, Tommy shot an arrow that hit Dream in his shoulder, and other arrows fired on Sapnap and George. 

Now! Wilbur raised the pearl, throwing it behind the tower with all his strength. He shut his eyes and grit his teeth at the pain, pulling out the arrow in his leg. Blood spilled on the ground, filling his nose with copper and the smoke from the fires. He didn’t have a lot of time. He drank a healing potion. 

The warmth filled his throat going down, the sugary sweetness spilling over his tongue was a blessing from the gods. He could feel the wound starting to close, the blood stops. His leg burned, but it was a good burning, a healing warmth. They could still do this, right?

Even with the high ground, they weren’t doing much damage. Someone pearled down to his side. It was Eret. 

The former king shook his head, blood trickling down his face from a scratch. “We’re low on supplies, they are climbing up to fight Tommy and Fundy. We should leave. I… I think I have something to win if we retreat.” 

Wilbur nodded, trusting his men. “TOMMY!” He yelled as loud as he could. “TACTICAL RETREAT!” 

That did the trick, the boy threw water on the ground, jumping into the large pool, along with Fundy and Tubbo. “We almost had them. Why-”

Eret held up a hand. “I have a backup plan. You guys will need to follow me.” 

“A backup? You didn’t think to tell us earlier?” Tubbo asked, clutching an injured arm. It looked like he’d been grazed or cut with a sword. Probably by Sapnap or Punz. 

“I was working on it in case. And it wasn’t done earlier. It took a lot of my own preparation time. I’ve made a secret weapon.”

WIlbur nodded, as they made their way back to the remaining horses, and got on. “I trust you. You’ve been a great help to the war effort, despite getting kicked off your throne. Maybe you can one day be president of L’manberg.” 

Tommy crossed his arms, climbing onto his horse. “I thought you were going to be President Wilbur?” 

Wilbur laughed, turning to his brother. He did indeed want to be president, after all he created it, with Tommy as his side. He was relieved to find Tommy and Fundy relatively unharmed other than a few bruises or scratches. Any major injuries were either healed by potions or Tommy might have avoided them with luck alone. “Yes, but I was thinking we could hold an election. Let the people decide.” 

Eret led the way, tugging on the reins to his horse and heading back in the direction of L’manberg. The rest followed. 

“An Election?” Tubbo asked. “You mean our country will be a Democratic one? The citizens get to choose a leader, a government?”

“You're following that story! The book about that man!” Tommy exclaimed. 

Wilbur laughed. “Yes, I’ve decided to follow in Ham’s footsteps. We’ll have an election after we rebuild from the war. When we win.” 

His statement served to lift their spirits about the war. They would win, they had a hero on their side. It was bound to work. And if it didn’t then he had one more option, one thing he could do to secure a way to win over Dream. 

Eret stopped at a grass field not far from the farms. He got off his horse, pointing to a trap door in the ground, with stairs below it. “Follow me. This way, gentlemen.” 

They headed down the stairs, Tommy right behind Eret. He was grinning, practically bouncing on each step. “This is it! With Eret’s weapons, the supplies, and Will’s leadership, we’re going to win! We don’t need no bitch boy god anymore.” His younger brother cheered excitedly.

As always the good mood was contagious and Tubbo and Fundy were laughing. Wilbur smiled, watching his family. This is what he wanted to remember. These moments in history.

They walked down a long hallway into a dark room filled with chests. A sign above the entranceway said:  **Final Control Room** . 

“Eret what is this?” Tubbo asked.

Wilbur glanced around. Each of the chests had their names on it and a button sat in the middle. 

“Yeah. What is this?” Tommy echoed and stared at the button. “What the fuck does this thingy do?” And he pressed it. 

Wilbur heard the click of pistons moving and the next thing he remembered was pain. White, all over his body, his insides burning. He shut his eyes tightly, crying out in pain. He heard Tommy and Fundy and Tubbo’s screams. Harming potions. 

He opened his eyes, spots dancing in his vision to see an axe, Dream’s axe swinging towards him. He couldn’t move with the pain in his body, in his mind. The blade cut open his armor and a good chunk of skin on his side. He clutched his side, falling to the floor. 

From the ground, he could see Eret standing there, putting a crown on his head. He was still a king. A traitor, working for Dream. 

_ “Down with the Revolution boys. It was never meant to be.” _


	8. The Disks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy gets his disks!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years!! 2021 is so soon I'm excited for a new year. Not sure when I'll update again due to Holidays and low motivation but we're almost done with the first War Arc!

Tommy’s insides felt scorched, burning, throbbing pain in his body, and he screamed, falling forward on the ground. Standing above him, a knight with dark hair and a bright fire emblem, sword extended, swinging towards him. He rolled, dodging the blade, even through the pain searing through his mind. 

He couldn’t think. All that mattered was survival. They had to live. But it seemed hopeless, the exit had been cut off and even if they mined through, there would be traps. Tommy didn’t know how he knew, but he knew. There was only one way in or out. 

Eret had betrayed them, completely. Tommy growled, grabbing his sword and standing up to face the traitor. “ _ Eret, You fucked up!” _

Sapnap swung and he blocked it, but his strength was low. Tommy spotted Wilbur and Tubbo on the ground, clutching bleeding wounds. Fundy was crying over Wilbur, his hands raised in surrender as Dream held an axe to his throat. 

They’d lost. They were going to die. 

No. 

Tommy didn’t want to die. Not at the hands of the masked bastard, not here, not now. They had to win, had to beat the bad guys. He wasn’t the hero if he couldn’t do something. But what could a teenage boy of sixteen ever hope to do? He didn’t know how to fight as well as Wilbur or Techno. Maybe he couldn’t do this. 

Tears burned in his vision, and the knight’s sword cut his arm, pain running through his arm and up through his shoulder. He cried out, gritting his teeth and trying to stand as he clutched his wound. 

_ I don’t want to die. To lose. HELP!  _ Someone had to hear him. Tommy dug his feet into the ground, lowering his stance, and screamed. He let loose the loudest, clearest scream he could, a warrior’s final battle cry. 

The noise scared the knight in front of him, dropping his sword and backing away. In the side of his vision, he noticed Dream freeze, lowering his axe. 

Tommy’s throat burned raw, and he stopped, coughing and stumbling on his shaking legs. The chamber was silent for a few seconds, everyone staring at Tommy. Then a low rumbling shook the chamber and someone burst through the top, their form as bright as the sun. 

Feathers glowed, spilling golden light down on them, warmth radiating from the power. Green and white robes fluttered in the wind, and a Netherite sword swung at Dream. It cut him clean on the shoulder, and the god stumbled back, falling. 

“STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY SONS.” 

Phil’s blond hair was messy from the wind, his eyes narrowed and practically glowing with rage. He stood over Wilbur and Tubbo, wings spread to heal and protect them, his stance lowered. Tommy had never seen their father this protective and angry before. How did he even know where they were? That they needed him?

The knights at Dream’s side paled and nodded, backing away from the angel as he protected them with his sword. They dropped their weapons and tended to the hurt god. 

Phil turned and picked up Wilbur, curling his arms around him and pressing him to his chest. He motioned for Tubbo to climb on his back. Tommy grabbed Fundy and climbed out of the hole their father had created, the cut on his arm stinging and dripping blood with each move. He’d need to get that healed soon. 

Phil’s wings spread and flapped as he took off with the two, carrying them back to the house. Tommy had enough strength to get on his horse and run after him, all the way to the farmhouse. 

They were safe. For now. 

“How… did you know?” Wilbur coughed, laying in bed. Tommy sat at his side, helping Phil tend to the wound as it was too large for the angel to heal all the way. They’d cleaned it and Phil was sewing stitches into the skin to close it up. 

“A feeling. A voice. I can’t really explain it,” Phil admitted, tying the thread off. He placed his hand on Wilbur’s and glanced at Tommy. “I heard Tommy crying, like he used to as a kid, a wave of desperation, like he was dying, like you all were dying.” 

Wilbur’s eyes were tired, and he needed rest, but they became lighter as he gazed at Tommy. “It was his scream. He called for help, a warrior’s call. He’s the true hero,” his brother coughed. 

Had he really called for Phil? Tommy had never done that before, and it wasn’t like he had magic like a god. Right? Or did heroes have access to some superpowers he wasn’t aware of? He shook his head, grabbing the bandages and wrapping them around Wilbur’s wound carefully. 

“I don’t know. I… can I even do that?” Tommy asked, uncertain if such a thing was possible. Then again, this world had shown him gods, and halflings that could grow up in months, and angels that could heal and fly. Enchantments and potions and monsters. It was a magical world, for all the bad in it, there was good. 

Wilbur’s hand curled around Tommy’s wrist, his skin hot with fever. His brother needed rest. “Check my… my notes. I researched heroes. There… there is a way to beat Dream in there.” 

He nodded and pulled the covers over him. “Get some rest. Dad, you too,” Tommy turned to the angel, whose wings were gray and droopy as he’d used a lot of power to save and heal them. 

Phil hesitated, but Tommy shook his head, pushing the older man out and down the hall to his room. “No buts, you need to sleep. I can take care of myself now.” 

Once he was satisfied with his father getting rest, Tommy checked on Tubbo. He’d been injured but healed by Phil, and was still awake in their room. 

“Why did Eret betray us? We trusted him,” Tubbo said, falling back on his lower bunk. 

“I don’t know.” Then he thought about it, the masked god’s voice ringing in his head.

“I do. He lied to us.” Tommy paused, turning to his brother. “Not Eret, Dream. He planned it from the beginning and used the king, told us that lie, and we believed it. Eret had been nothing but kind and helpful. Tubbo, it was the fucking green bitch, he played him, played us all. And we’re going to bring him down.” 

Wilbur’s book. He had to get Wilbur’s book. It was in the van. The cover of the night would be fine for Tommy to go get it. “I’ll be back,” he told Tubbo and ran out the door. 

He returned a few minutes later, panting as he sat down at the desk. Tubbo walked over, standing over him. Tommy moved the lamp, opening the book and flipping pages to search for what Wilbur told him too. 

_ Heroes are chosen when the world is out of balance. When the gods are rogue, when evil and destruction taints their hearts, there will be a person able to stop them. This person has incredible amounts of luck, as fate is on their side, and will be able to save and help others in emergencies. They are capable of anything if desperate enough, and the tiny amount of magic in them will respond and grow.  _

_ Legend has it, if a hero traverses to the End and speaks with the Ender Dragon, he will gain her blessing, enabling more powers. The blessing includes a weapon capable of taking down gods themselves.  _

_ Tommy, this is how you win over Dream. You must go to the End. This is how L’manberg becomes a reality. I need your help.  _

Tommy read the entire passage, the words swarming in his head. He was really supposed to stop this? Him? A boy who wanted the freedom to sell drugs, to prank others. Could he do this? 

Tubbo was slower at reading but when he caught up, his hand went to Tommy’s shoulder, patting it. “It’s okay. I believe in you. We’re going together.”

Warmth filled Tommy’s chest, the doubts and the voices in his mind, disappearing. When push came to shove, Tubbo was always at his side. They were stuck together, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. It was perfect. This was home. 

“Yes,” Tommy shut the book. He blew out the lamp, engulfing their room darkness as he got into bed. 

“We’re going together.” 

\----

The portal to the End was within the Dream SMP borders, though on the other side of the farmlands around the city, a day’s travel by horse. They packed up in the morning, Tommy thinking to take their weapons and a few invisibility potions in case they were caught. 

Tommy threw the saddle on his horse, petting the creature’s soft hair. Nervousness tugged at his gut and he ignored the fact that this was a big mission, one that could possibly win the war. If he was the hero, and he got the disks, he’d have to protect them, keep them safe to use against Dream when the time came. 

“Remember the plan?” Tubbo asked, swinging his leg over his horse. 

“Get the disks. Fucking win the war,” Tommy said, though he was aware it would be harder than that. 

Tubbo laughed, the sound familiar, and filled Tommy’s chest with hope. “That’s the spirit!” Tubbo grinned, waiting for him. “We’ll just have to avoid being seen. You have the invis potions?” 

Tommy double-checked his bag and nodded, bottles stashed away for later use. He kicked up onto his horse, nodding to his brother. His nerves hadn’t calmed down, but he was stubborn and willful. He was going to help his family and defeat Dream even if it killed him. He wasn’t the strongest, but he had a strong mind, and people he cared about to protect. He had to do this. 

“Let’s go.” He whistled, patting the horse’s mane and they rode down the dirt road towards the city. 

  
  


The End portal was in an underground dungeon, the spiral stairs that lead down were covered in moss and cobwebs, showing the age, and the fact that nobody had been here in a long time. Tommy figured that someone might’ve been down here years ago to activate it and defeat the dragon, but must’ve died trying so. 

Tommy held his torch tighter, ignoring his heart beating in his ears with each step. They descended into the depths of the earth, the walls closing in around him. He decided he didn’t like being underground. It reminded him too much of being stuck in that death trap Eret set for them. 

He glanced at Tubbo who was behind him, and even his brother seemed uncomfortable. Tommy flashed him a reassuring smile, the best one he could do, and kept moving. They reached the dungeon. A groan of a zombie caught his attention. 

He pulled out his sword, ducking under the arms of the monster and stabbing his sword through. The creature disappeared into dust. The rattle of skeleton bones got closer, and Tommy pushed Tubbo out of the way of a stray arrow. “Careful. Nobody has been down here in a long time. Monsters spawn.” 

Tubbo nodded, taking out his sword, and swinging at the skeleton. He hit, cutting off its head, and the skeleton disappeared. “Thanks. Now, the portal room is…” He gazed around the dark hallways. “That way?” 

Tommy didn’t know either, but he’d heard it was close to the stairwell so he picked the doorway on the right. He pushed open the door, staring at a green and black portal, the eyes staring at him. They were unnerving, and he shivered as he stepped closer. 

He felt a tug, a pull towards the portal, as if something was calling for him. Tubbo held back, watching him. “Tommy, you don’t think the Dragon will hurt you?” his brother asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

Would she? Most other people tried to kill her and take the egg. But Tommy was the hero, and if Wilbur was right, all he had to do was ask for help. “I don’t think so? Wilbur’s research has never been wrong.” 

Tommy took a deep breath, summoning his strength and his usual attitude. “We’re going in! Dream is going down! Revolution for L’manberg!” He grabbed Tubbo’s arm and tugged him through the portal. 

The world warped around them, a light pain running through his head and chest as his body was pulled into a different world. Tommy found himself surrounded by white blocks and really tall pillars. Tubbo was at his side, his hand on his arm, squeezing tighter when he felt nervous. Tommy had to stand strong for his brother, for his family, even if he was purely acting. 

His skin crawled as he noticed the amount of Enderman walking around the empty field, remembering distantly that this realm was their home. He stepped forward cautiously, making sure to put away his sword and not look any of the tall teleporting monsters in the eye. 

A loud roar sounded from above, and Tommy nearly flinched. He tipped his head up, hearing the wind and large leather wings flap, soaring over them. Scales of black and sparkling purple moved, growing closer and closer. He raised his hands up, palms open, a sign of surrender. They weren’t here to fight the dragon, quite the opposite. 

A huff of purple fire came hurtling towards them, and Tommy ducked, stepping out of the way. Tubbo screamed, shaking his head. “This was a bad idea. This was a bad idea. I knew she was going to try to kill us! We’re dead. We’re dragon food.” 

His heart pounded in his ears, but he had to have hope, faith that if they stayed passive and trusted Wilbur’s research. Tommy clapped a hand over Tubbo’s mouth. “Shhh, please. For fucking one minute, stop freaking out.” 

His brother’s eyes were wide, his face paled, but he nodded frantically. His breathing was heavy, and Tommy could feel his racing heart. They were both scared, but it was going to be ok. 

Tommy gathered his courage and his voice. He strengthened his stance, holding his hands up again as the dragon circled around them. “We’re not here to fight you!” He shouted as loud as he could, eyes locked on the moving creature. “I need your help!” 

For a moment, the dragon didn’t pay any attention, and then she drifted down and landed. Large scaly wings curled in, folding nearly on her back, and she lowered her head. Purple-slit eyes stared directly at Tommy, right through his body, into his mind and soul. Large clawed legs moved forward until the dragon’s nose and mouth were close enough for them to feel the heat and magic radiating off the creature.

Tubbo hesitated, his body shaking behind Tommy, as if he was going to make a run for it, but was frozen with fear. Tommy ignored the ice in his veins, his instinct to run or right. He was the hero, and this had to work. 

“ **You’re not going to hurt me?** ” The Ender Dragon’s voice echoed, a softer female voice than what Tommy expected from her. The tone was curious, as if she’d never been shown mercy before, and was shocked. 

Tommy shook his head. “No. Um, you see, I think I’m supposed to be the hero. The gods on the overworld are-”

“ **Dark. Their souls have turned, unlike yours. I’m aware, and thankful the masked one has not attempted my life yet** ,” she huffed, a breeze of hot air ruffling Tommy’s hair. Her long head turned back to the pedestal where an egg sat. “ **He’d be able to kill me. To steal my child.** ” The dragon faced him again. 

“So can you help us? My friend, my brother, he researched and found information saying that you could give the hero a blessing and a weapon?” 

“ **Hmm. I can, yes. This hasn’t been done in quite some time. It is rare for both gods in a world to turn. Your world, your dimension must be flawed, broken somehow.** ” She mused, laying on the ground, so her head was closer to their level. 

“Hold on, did you say our dimension? Are there more worlds?” Tubbo asked, his voice shaky, but his initial fear gone. 

“ **Yes, dear child. Each is labeled with an IP. The End, this realm, connects to all other worlds. I am forced to be killed over and over. That’s why it’s a shock to find souls from a world that don’t wish to defeat me. And a shock to hear you need my blessing.”**

Tommy took a moment to think about it. The dragon in the mythology was supposed to be evil, holding control over their world, but she was simply a mother, cursed to relive death from each world. A twinge of pain ran through his chest, and he nodded. 

“I understand. Please, as the hero of the Dream SMP and L’manberg, I request your help.”

“ **Ask and you shall receive, young Tommy Innit. This will not hurt, I promise.** ” The Ender Dragon opened her mouth, blowing what looked to be fire, but sparkled, onto him. It wasn’t fire, it was magic. 

Tommy felt warm, and tingling spread all over his arms, his fingers, and in his chest. He may not have access to as much power as the gods, but he could feel more strength and power in his bones. He closed his eyes, the warmth comforting and filling him with hope. He could do this. 

When he opened his eyes again, the feeling had left, but he’d changed. The dragon opened her claws to reveal two disks, one with a green band and the other with a purple band. For the two gods. 

“ **Take these Disks. To use them you’ll have to play them in a jukebox and focus all your power on the gods. Be warned, it won’t be easy. The Disks take away a god's power, but it is your will against theirs. You will need training so don’t expect to be able to use these right away** ,” she explained, purple eyes watching him with sympathy and warning. 

Tommy reached out, carefully grabbing the disks. They felt like regular disks, but he could feel infused power, a kind of natural void within them, designed to take in power. “This will cause Dream to be powerless?”

“ **Yes, he’ll lose access to any creative mode or command abilities. He will also lose his godly strength and fighting skills. However, he will still be able to fight if he has trained well, and still be able to use enchantments and potions. Dream will be a threat, but less of one. He’d be human, and you’d be able to outnumber or even kill him if you wish.** ”

Kill him? Tommy wanted to fight and hurt him, he hated him, but death was permanent, and he wasn’t sure if he could do that to another person. He nodded. “Understood. Thank you!” He stuffed the disks in his bag and turned towards where they came from. 

The Ender Dragon stood, shaking her head, and breathed a column of fire to the side. It summoned a portal so they could return. Tommy then remembered that normally there would be no way out. You’d have to kill the dragon or die. 

He waved to her, thanking her once more, and followed Tubbo back through the portal. 

“That was insane! She didn’t hurt you. And those disks? Wilbur was right.” Tubbo rambled on their way up the stairs. 

Tommy laughed, rolling his eyes. “Of course he was. He’s the fucking general. He gives us the orders, we help him. Tubbo, I’m so excited to win this fucking war once and for all!” 

“She did say you can’t use it right away. Do you think we can end the war simply by holding it over his head?” Tubbo asked as they untied their horses and got on. They rode back towards the Dream SMP city and their house. 

“Yes. We can use the disks to threaten Dream into giving L’manberg independence. It will work. He doesn’t know I can’t use them yet.” It was perfect. His turn to fucking threaten the green bitch. 

Tommy let his eyelids droop, resting against the warm mane of his horse as they headed back. 

  
  


He was startled awake when his horse bucked to a stop. Tubbo’s face was pale, wide with fear as he stared off into the distance. Tommy followed his gaze. 

Dream. The masked god stood at the city exit, staring at them. He was waiting. Had he heard of them entering town? How did he know? 

Tommy dug in his bag, taking out the potions of invisibility to sneak around him. Handing one to Tubbo. 

“Tommy. You um… these aren’t invis potions,” his brother whispered. 

He gazed down, staring at the bottles and then reading the label carefully. They were speed potions. It would help them run away, but the god could and would catch up. It was no use. They were caught. 


	9. The Bow Duel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Tommy duel for the disks and L'manberg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!! Unfortunately school is starting again so I don't know my update schedule but I'll shoot for once a week or more if I can. 
> 
> I know people probably wanted the duel from Tommy's view, but since I'd just written a Tommy chapter, you'll have to get Dream's side. I hope that's alright! :)

“I assume you two are headed to L’man-child-berg,” Dream said, eying the two on their horses. He crossed his arms. Where had they been? They’d been gone for a few days. Disappeared off his radar, as if they didn’t exist. Did they actually go  _ there _ ? 

Tommy swung off his horse, stepping forward and glaring at him. “Yeah? What about it? If you’re going to stand in our way I’ll have no choice but to take you down.” 

“Take me down?” Dream echoed with a slight chuckle, but ice curled in his chest. If Tommy was this confident, he must’ve gone there. He had the weapon to defeat him. “Come on now. You can’t do that. Look at you, you’re still a kid.” 

Tommy’s face dropped, rage filling his eyes. “I’m the kid that can take you fucking down, you green pussy. I bet you’re scared of me, huh?” 

Sorta. Dream would never admit it, but the cold in veins said otherwise. If he really had the god-destroying weapons because he went to the End… “Ha. Oh you wish, Tomathy. Now, I think I will block your way, just for saying something so rude.” 

Tommy laughed and shook his head. He pulled out two disks, one with a green band and the other with purple and white. “No, Dream. You’re going to surrender from the war and give us our independence. Or I’m going to use these to take away all your powers and strength. You’ll be a nobody.” 

Disks? Dream eyed them carefully, they looked like regular disks. Mellohi and Cat, the colors and everything. Was Tommy bluffing? Then where had they been if they weren’t in the Dream SMP or L’manberg? A far away Nether adventure? 

His brain turned, the gears trying to piece together the bits of information. He reached for his axe slowly, shaking his head. The disks were real, but they had no power. Correction, they had no power _ yet _ . Tommy wasn’t strong enough. “You’re bluffing. Hand over the disks, Tommy,” Dream said calmly. 

Tommy’s face went paler than usual, and though his expression didn’t change, his eyes spoke of fear. Dream grinned under his mask. He caught him. Tommy couldn’t use the weapons yet, right now they were just disks. But they were disks in the hands of a hero, a kid who could use them against him. He needed to take them. 

“No! I’m going to fucking take away your power. Right now!” He held out the disk with the green band, fire behind his eyes and his stance.

“Tommy, you’re not fooling anyone. Hand over the disks and I’ll let you pass. Hell, if you give me them I may consider surrendering from the war.” Dream spoke, no fear in his voice. 

At that, Tommy blinked, taken aback. He hesitated, staring at the disks in his hand. “What?” 

“No. You can’t listen to him. He’s lying. Tommy, listen to me. Whatever you do, you can’t hand those over. You’ll lose the only thing that can stop him if he goes out of control.” Tubbo yelled, pulling on Tommy’s arm desperately.

“But the war… L’manberg…” Tommy muttered. 

“We’ll find another way. It’s not worth it. The disks are probably the most powerful thing in this world. We have to protect them. They’re rightfully yours, Tommy. You can’t give them up.” Tubbo said again, convincing the hero. Tommy slid the disks back into his bag. 

Damn. 

And here Dream was, so close to getting the disks in his hands once and for all. As it seemed, for as emotional and stubborn as Tommy was, he did have common sense and could be reasoned with. No matter. He had a back up plan. If it wasn’t as simple as asking for the disks, he could move them into checkmate. He was in control here, even when they thought he wasn’t.

Dream swung his axe, holding it right in front of Tommy’s throat. “Hand me the disks. Or I blow up your whole country!” He poured his magic and strength into his words. He would threaten and kill whoever he needed to get his way. 

Tommy glared at him, and spit on his mask. “Go fuck yourself. You can’t blow up L’manberg, you don’t have enough TNT.” 

Well. He was glad to be wearing a mask. He rolled his eyes, taking a step back. “And if I’m not lying? You do know I can summon as many stacks of TNT as I want? While you two were gone, I rigged L’manberg with TNT. Without anyone to protect it, it was wide open for attack.” Dream pulled out a button from his pocket. “Now all I need to do is hit a button and your country, your land is destroyed!” 

The teenagers stared at him in a mixture of shock and fear. Good. They should be scared. His chest filled with warmth, power bubbling in his veins. “Here. Let’s go to L’manberg together so you can talk to your leader.” 

Dream stepped up to his own horse not far from them, mounting and waving them forward. He noticed that Tommy was more silent than usual. The fear. Even though his magic wouldn’t work on the young boy, he could still feed off the emotion, the pain. As long as he was around people afraid of him, he could subconsciously take it in. 

Spirit carried him towards L’manberg, racing along the path, with the two other horses following. As they got closer to the country, Tommy began to talk once again, mostly in a lower voice to Tubbo. Were they planning? He strained to listen in. 

“I can distract him, and you can go take the TNT out?” Tommy offered. 

“Well, yes, but if he did plan to blow up the whole country, to collect that many stacks will take me hours. Even disconnecting it may not work if he has backup redstone,” Tubbo responded. 

“Fucking hell! Why does he think he can just take our land? He’s only the shit god of his kingdom not the entire damn world!” 

“Hey, keep your voice down. He can hear you.” 

“I don’t fucking care. Fuck you, piss baby!” Tommy yelled, and Dream turned around. Should he say something or let the child have a tantrum? Eh, no need to make worse or respond. The curses didn’t really make him upset or anything. 

He paused. Well, there was one thing he wanted to say. “Trying out new nicknames for me over there?” 

“Shut the hell up, man. I didn’t ask you,” Tommy rolled his eyes, and pulled ahead of them on his horse. 

“Please excuse him, Dream. Don’t make this war worse because he um he can’t control his temper or mouth,” Tubbo sighed, glancing warily at Dream. The fear rolled off him in waves practically and the god was getting stronger every moment in his presence. 

“Of course. No worries, I actually don’t care. His behavior won’t change the war. Your country will go up in flames and it will be over,” he said calmly in a casual, almost friendly tone.

“Isn’t there another way? To end this? Without the disks or TNT?” 

Dream glanced at the small, brown-haired boy who was gripping the ropes on his horse so tight his hands were white. “There might be. I can talk to Wilbur privately to discuss a peaceful surrender, if you wish.” 

Tubbo’s eyes lit up, and he sat up straight, nodding. “Yes! Please. We don’t want to die, you see, sir.” 

Was he hoping the term of respect would help? Dream hid his laugh as best he could. He really feared him that much? He needed to spend more time around Tubbo. Then again, even with all the fear, the boy had managed to fight competently and keep a cool head in the midst of battle. Interesting.

It was the suspense, the threats, the lies. That’s what Tubbo really feared, not the violence itself. 

They arrived at L’manberg shortly after their conversation, the sun beginning to set and the lamps burning with their bright light. Dream slid off Spirit, patting his neck and tying a rope to a tree. He stepped towards the van, and was ordered by Tommy to stay outside. 

Wilbur hobbled out, his skin pale but looking better from someone who’d been badly injured recently. The healing potions and the angel could only do so much after all. “Tommy go inside.” 

“But-” 

“I said go inside.” Wilbur repeated and Tommy closed the door. The leader walked away from the van slowly, motioning for Dream to follow. “They told me we needed to talk. What is it you want?”

“I want the same thing I always have. Your team to surrender. You can have the land, since we made a deal, but it can’t be its own country. It can’t be independent,” Dream said. It was the truth. He couldn’t go back on the deal, but he could get rid of the existence of a country. He paused, pouring the power he’d gathered from their fear into his next lie. “Or if you don’t surrender, I can light one, and only one, TNT on your land.” 

“Only one?” Wilbur frowned, turning to him and searching his mask. “Are you sure? This isn’t a trick?” 

“No. Just one TNT and we can continue our talks or our fighting like normal. I swear it will be one piece.” Dream said calmly, fingers crossed behind his back. 

Wilbur’s eyes glazed over slightly, his power working. He nodded. “Deal. Let me go get my men to face you.” 

Dream waved him off, holding in his laughter until he was out of earshot. He laughed, leaning over with a grin, his mask slipping off slightly. Without Tommy to talk to Wilbur, to warn him of his magic, his lies, he could manipulate whoever he wanted. Including leaders of so-called countries. 

He saw the group walking towards him, and put the mask back into place, calming down and holding his axe just in case Tommy ran at him. 

Wilbur stood tall and proud, with his men, including the young teenage fox halfling, behind him. “Men, Dream has given us an ultimatum. We are not going to surrender. He can light this TNT, break a small part of our land. In the end, it won’t matter. Because our revolution is strong.” 

Dream nodded, and set a TNT on the ground. Tommy shook with rage, stepping forward, but Wilbur held out his arm, blocking him. The hero knew. He knew it wouldn’t be one TNT, it would be a lot. But Wilbur and Fundy didn’t. And that’s what mattered. Tommy was powerless to stop him, he was only second-in command, and not an actual leader. 

_ “Independence or Death. If we get no revolution, then we want nothing. We would rather die, than give in to you and join your SMP.”  _ Wilbur’s words echoed off the land and walls. 

“So be it.” Dream said, a wide grin under his mask. He lit the TNT, and backed away. One by one, all the explosives went off. Booms crashed all around him, his heart picking up speed. The ground rumbled under his feet. Wilbur screamed, and they all ran, jumping into the nearby lake to save themselves from the force of the explosions and the rubble. 

“NO!” Wilbur yelled, covering his head with his arms and knelt in the water. “The country!” 

The god jumped up in the sky, floating as he watched the complete destruction of the land. He took off his mask, letting out a laugh. The fire, the rubble, the smoke. It was beautiful. He did it! Dream had forced them into a position of surrender, and he won. The warmth and power filled his body, his head fuzzy with an exciting bliss. It was like being drunk, but with magic. 

He watched as the group, soaking wet from the lake and devastated, picked at the remains of their country. Wilbur searched and was lucky to find the book of Independence. Dream could practically see his tears from this distance. He landed on the ground next to Spirit, and untied his horse, ready to leave.

He’d won. 

\-----

A week later, Wilbur and Tommy sat in front of him at a table in the castle, here to negotiate the terms of their surrender. George and Sapnap sat at his side, his witnesses for the agreement. Dream opened a book, pulling out a quill and ink. He knew exactly what he wanted from them, and it was in line with Techno’s no government standards. 

“You fought well, considering our power and your disadvantage. But you can’t beat a god,” Dream said, watching Tommy for a reaction. Would he get one? Or had Wilbur ordered him to sit still?

Tommy’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything. Good. 

“In that case. You must agree that your country can’t exist. You can’t have independence or leadership, but you can own the land. However, I also request that Tommy hand over his disks.” Dream wrote down in the book. 

_ “You know what! You know what! Why don’t we fight right now! Why don’t we fight. A one-v-one. I don’t care, in front of everyone.”  _ Tommy stood up, pounding his fists on the table. 

Wilbur yanked on Tommy’s shirt, turning him towards him.  _ “Tommy, Tommy, calm.”  _

“NO! He can’t fucking have my disks. Dream you egotistical bastard! We are having a duel. A bow duel!” Tommy growled, pushing away from Wilbur and storming up to Dream. “We’ll do it in the field where you fought Techno!” 

A duel? This was an interesting turn. Dream knew that the request for the disks would cause the kid to lash out, but he didn’t know what would happen. He grinned, facing Tommy. “A bow duel? Alright. If you win, you can have independence. But if I win, you agree to the terms I just laid out.” 

“Fine. But you can’t fucking cheat! No god powers or shit.” 

Dream hummed. He didn’t need any of his godly strength to shoot an arrow at Tommy. “Sounds fair. Deal.” 

\----

Dream stepped out onto the empty field, memories flooding back of the duel against Techno. The flash of his pink hair and red clothing, the glowing of their enchanted weapons and armor, the power of destruction and flight at his fingertips. It's where he first learned of his true calling: chaos. Even though the other god won, he enjoyed that fight, considering the piglin his friend even. Techno was the only person who understood how he felt as a god, how their powers worked. 

George's hand pat his shoulder, his best friend worried about the duel despite trusting him. "Please win for us, Dream," he said, eyes soft. 

"Come on now, George," he chuckled in a low voice. Turning to his friend, he tilted his head to the side. "When have I ever lost against a human?" He placed his hand over his. "You have nothing to worry about. But, I'm glad you care!" 

"True, but isn't he the hero? You were telling me all about how they have special skills and luck to take down gods." 

"Tommy may be a hero, but he's an incompetent one. His emotions are too strong, he cares too much, and lashes out at anything that angers him. Without control or maturity, he can't use his powers." Dream rolled his eyes, grabbing the bow from George's hands. 

His friend didn't respond, and Tommy's loud voice chattering away to Wilbur caught his attention. They stepped into the field, facing them. 

"Dream, if you'll allow me to count off the duel?" Wilbur offered, stepping to the side, and finding a place on a nearby rock.

Dream shrugged. He didn't care who counted them off, he was ready to end this once and for all. It was time to establish the real leader, their god, with control over everything. Nobody would dare step out of line again. "Go ahead Wilbur."

Tommy glared at Dream, holding back a number of curses and bowed to him. Dream bowed back, and they turned around. Wilbur held up a hand and began to count. 

"One. Two. Three." 

Dream took his steps in line with the numbers, to the beat of the victory song in his head. He drew an arrow from the quiver.

"Four. Five. Six."

Dream set the arrow on the bow, fingers itching to pull the string back, but he waited. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. 

"Seven. Eight. Night."

Here it comes. He pulled the string back. 

"Ten paces. Fire!"

Dream turned, eyes locked on Tommy. An arrow flew towards his head, but he ducked, his instincts on full alert. The arrow wizzed over his head. His heart pounded and he forced the magic down, as he had agreed not to use it. Since he'd dodged the first shot, Tommy had to reload. Now was his chance. 

Dream locked his aim on Tommy's side, a non-lethal shot, one that would fucking hurt, but not kill or damage organs. As much as he hated the kid, and they were against each other all the time, he wasn't about to kill him. He couldn't find it in his heart, despite changing over time, he didn't feel like Techno did about death. 

He shot. The arrow flew towards Tommy, and sunk into his target. Screams of pain and desperation filled the air. 

It was over. 

  
  


\----

Dream let Tommy heal and rest a few days before they privately met in L'manberg. Nobody was around, only the ruins of the TNT that hadn't been rebuilt. 

Tommy's eyes had gone dark, the hope, the spark, almost non-existent. His shoulders slumped and he had one arm curled around his side where bandages wrapped around his stomach and back. He pulled out the disks. 

"Dream..." He started slowly. "I know what you want from me." Tommy's voice was softer than he'd ever heard. "Remember when you… said you'd let us have independence if I gave up the disks? Back in the SMP?"

He did. Dream nodded, a signal for Tommy to continue. Where was this going? 

"Can we do that deal? My family, my friends, we want our own country. Please? L'manberg isn't meant to take your businesses or your citizens. It's just meant to be another safe place for people. A chance for Wilbur to make history and a place for Fundy to grow up. I'll give you these disks if you give us independence."

Wait. Was he serious? Dream had never seen this level of selflessness and maturity from the younger teen. This had to be a joke. Right?

But the kid's head was hung low, eyes on the ground, body shaking. His voice was quiet, and reserved. There was a seriousness and sadness to his words. 

Plus, Dream already got what he wanted. Power. Chaos. He'd had a war, destroyed shit, made them fear him, and controlled others. He'd gotten plenty out of this war already. 

"Alright, Tommy. L'manberg can be independent." Dream said, holding out his hand. 

"Really?" Tommy gazed up, light sparking in his eyes. He stood up taller, watching the god. 

"Yes." 

Tommy grinned, placing the disks in his open palms and laughed. "Oh my fucking god. Yes! Thank you! Thanks so much!" The kid cheered, forgetting about his hatred to wrap his arms around Dream. 

Dream's body froze and he stared down at him, patting his back awkwardly with one hand. He didn't know what to say, what to do. 

Luckily Tommy got in control of himself and pulled away with an awkward cough. "Right. Well, I um, better go tell Wilbur! See you later!" He waved and ran off. 


	10. The Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno is upset because of governments. He has some plans to get rid of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised to update once a week. I've had low motivation to write lately, but I hope that changes soon. We're halfway through with this fic so hang on for this second act. It'll have an AU ending, but canon-wise I'm ending after Wilbur's villain arc and death. (I'll probably write separate one-shot fanfic for exile manipulation because I want to write that too)
> 
> Here's the next chapter! Enjoy and comment if you'd like. :)

“Come join us! We’re celebrating our independence!” Wilbur called to Techno from across the field. 

Independence? What? Wasn’t Dream supposed to stop them from creating a government? Technoblade internally groaned, rolling his eyes as he glanced at the rest of his family. He was glad they were safe, but mad at them for the new government. He couldn’t forgive Wilbur for this. 

“Nah. You have fun without me,” he replied, waving to him. 

“Alright,” Wilbur nodded, turning to a book in his hands. “On this day, L’manberg gains freedom from the tyrants.” He wrote a few words down. “And,” he stood up, climbing to the top of the van they’d rebuilt. “ _ SUCK IT GREEN BOIII!”  _ He yelled. 

Techno winced, shaking his head and leaving, heading back down the path towards his horse. He wasn’t supposed to be here. He passed Phil on his way. 

“You okay?” He asked. 

“I’m fine. I just… I can’t be here. It’s going to grow, people will be moving into the land inside the walls. It bothers me. This was forest and farmland.” He placed the saddle on his horse. “I’m heading to my house.” 

“The one in the snowy mountains?” Phil glanced out on the horizon. 

“Yeah, I have an underground farm, a base, a Nether portal. Everything I need. Plus, nobody is around for miles.” Techno chuckled, a grin on his face. He’d rather be by himself anyway. 

“Alright, I’ll see you there later then,” Phill said, nodding. He wrapped his arms and wings around Techno in a light hug. 

He didn’t mind. After all, a father was still a father. He hugged back and then stepped away onto his horse. Mounting the creature, he left for the mountains, at full speed. 

“Good riddance L’manberg,” Techno muttered. But in the back of his mind, he needed to make a plan on how to destroy it. He couldn’t ask Dream again, not right now. He could betray his brothers and completely blow it up and spawn withers. 

But Techno wasn’t sure he wanted to go against them when he hadn’t exhausted other resources yet. He could try something else. 

As soon as he got home, he raced upstairs towards the library with his enchantment table and grabbed a book. He flipped through it. He remembered getting his book because he wanted more information about angels since Phil was one.

Ever since then, he’d been teaching his father tricks about being an angel, such as using his feathers for insanely strong healing potions, and how to locate diamonds and Netherite. There were secrets that Phil hadn’t known due to the dwindling numbers of other species. Techno and Fundy were even rare as halflings weren’t as common anymore. Most people were human. 

Techno stopped on a page and put his glasses on, scanning over the page. 

_ Angels have a sibling species that haven’t been seen on any world since they were banished. Demons. They used to roam the world, causing chaos and destroying the towns that were built. The job of the angels was to fight them and keep them in check. This is how the world operated in the beginning. Before the gods decided to banish the demons to the underworld, an entirely different realm from the End or Nether, and only the dead or demons can access it.  _

_ Monsters that spawn on the overworld come from the underworld. They do the demons bidding, finishing their work. Even human souls can come from the underworld in the form of zombies and skeletons. Creepers and Enderman are said to be the direct sons of demons.  _

Techno paused, flipping the page. There had to be a way to bring a demon back. If they were powerful enough to cause monsters to spawn, they could destroy a country. 

_ Summoning demons has been forbidden by the gods. Do not try it. They are manipulative and dark creatures, strong enough to ruin towns and cities without the protection of gods or angels.  _

Techno sorted, rolling his eyes. “And what are you going to do if a god summons one, eh?” He was certain that Dream wouldn’t care. If this book didn’t have a summoning ritual… maybe he could make one himself. He’d need monster parts, one from each main mob. Rotting flesh, bones, gun powder, string, and an ender pearl. Maybe he’d get a Wither skull for extra luck. 

He remembered that circles were usually used for summoning and that he could outline one in Redstone dust. As far as what to say during the ritual, he didn’t know, but he figured he could use his authority as a god. If they were the ones that banished demons, he could certainly unbanish one. 

Techno couldn’t think of another plan, he would have to gather the items and set a date. Wilbur was planning an election in a few months after they rebuilt. It would be better to destroy the country in the middle of the election, while nobody was technically in power. 

He had a plan. No more governments. After L’manberg was gone, he’d get Dream to get rid of the king of the Dream SMP. No leaders, no rules. Only freedom. 

\----

“I thought you’d be angry with me.” 

Techno shrugged, staring at the god in front of him. “How did you find my house, Dream?” He sighed, opening the door to let him in. 

Dream ran a hand through his hair, his mask off for once. “Eh, it’s not hard to teleport to another’s location. There’s a-” 

“A spell. I know. It’s in the gods commands list. Did you need something?” Techno asked. The only reason he’d seek him out would be for information, help, or a combination of both. They weren’t friends, but they helped each other when it was beneficial.

“No, not directly. I’m just … surprised you didn’t try to hurt me after I failed to get rid of the government. But what I did was more important for both of us.” Dream glanced around his house, even going through some of his chests and books. 

Techno’s fingers twitched, but he didn’t try to stop the other god. “Look, either tell me whatever information it is you have or get out. I don’t go through your house and look through your shit.” He muttered, crossing his arms. 

“Oh. Right, sorry.” Dream sighed, opening an Ender chest and pulling out two music disks. 

“You came here to listen to music? Do you even have a house, Dream? Or are you homeless and have to live in that dreadful castle?” Techno teased, a grin on his face. Maybe the other god was lonely, even with his friends. He didn't know. 

He was slightly annoyed that this was all the other god had to present himself. Dream could be scary, deathly good at lying and manipulating, and a strong fighter, but without his mask in a private setting he was just super awkward. 

“What? No. No. Techno, these aren’t normal disks. Tommy, your brother, is a hero. He went to the End and talked to the dragon to get his powers. And these disks. You know what that means, don’t you?” Dream handed him the disks. 

At first, Techno thought he could be lying, but without the mask, he could read the fear in Dream’s bright green eyes. The worry and dread. He was serious about this. 

“That my brother is an idiot. Yes.” Techno rolled his eyes. The disks felt normal, looked normal at first glance, but he could feel the faint power from the End, from another realm. But he knew why Dream was scared. They’d lose all their power if Tommy ever was mature enough to go against them for real. The fact that he even went to the Dragon proved he could at one point be enough to take them down. 

“You stole them.” Techno handed them back. “He’ll be after you soon and you need my help," he inferred. That's why Dream was here. Right?

“No. He gave them up. That’s why I let them have L’manberg, because the disks are the most important thing in this world for us. More than the government. I figured you would have a backup plan.” Dream’s eyes flicked to the chest Techno had filled with items for the ritual.

It was almost time to do it. A few more days until they had the election debates. He’d take the items to L’manberg and summon the demon.

“Tommy gave them up?” Techno laughed. “Unlike him, but I believe you. Keep the disks safe Dream, though I highly doubt Tommy will ever want them back or use them. He’s probably forgotten by now. It’s been months and they’ve been rebuilding L’manberg.” 

Techno had only gone back once to check on the progress. An entire mini town had been built, with the van in the middle. There was a park and a white house. And an entire stage with a stadium for the debates. L’manberg looked like a real country, with people moving in. 

He remembered passing by a fox halfling who was helping build the stage, and barely recognizing him. In the past few months, Fundy had grown from a young teen to a full adult. As expected of a fox. He’d age normally from now on, hopefully he wouldn’t die too early from war or anything else. 

“I noticed. There’s an election on Friday. How far should I stay away from the stage?” Dream asked. 

“You can watch from any of the walls or roofs of buildings. I won’t be blowing it up. But, I do expect there to be plenty of death and chaos, so enjoy the show!” Techno headed towards the door to his house, opening it. A polite invitation for Dream to leave. He’d overstayed his welcome anyway. 

“Of course. See you then.” The other god waved to him and stepped out of the door before disappearing. 

\---- 

Traveling to L'manberg was faster by Nether portal, especially when Techno had a heavy bag and didn't want his horse Carl in danger. He slung the supplies over his back and stepped through the portal. The purple swirled around him and he walked into the hot air of the Nether. 

The nice thing about being a halfling piglin was none of them would ever bother him, even without gold. Sometimes, he'd even get free trades if he was lucky, or a young piglin who wanted a hug. He indulged when he had the time. After all, they were like cousins, a kind of relatedness. 

Today, Techno had no time to trade or hug or help the piglins. He jogged across the long bridges he and other people built all over to travel faster. He spied the community portal of the Dream SMP and figured that was the closest to L'manberg. He would have to fly to make it on time though. The debates were starting soon. 

He stepped through the portal, letting the magic swirl around him before the cooler air of the kingdom hit him. Techno nearly backed into the portal as people walked all around the pathways and horses carried people and crops around. He forgot the bustle of an actual kingdom and how much he hated it. He sighed, heading away from the crowds so he could teleport to Phil's house. 

He hid in an alleyway and said the proper command to teleport to the coordinates. The farm appeared in front of him, but sadly, the view was broken by the high walls of L'manberg in the striking black and gold. Techno shook his head unapproving. 

Phil's wings flapped overhead and he landed next to him. "What's in the bag? Don't tell me you're blowing your brothers up." 

Techno shook his head. Not yet, he wasn't going to directly turn on his brothers. He had this option first. "No. Something better, I hope. Phil, I can't hurt them directly… not, not yet. But the voices…"

Phil's hand pat his shoulder, his green eyes looking at him, filled with sympathy. "You're doing the right thing. I know you don't want to go against them, but you have too. If this teaches them a lesson…"

"I think it will. If this fails, I have to follow the voices. Even if it means…" 

Death. For his family. He'd have to kill Wilbur, as he was too corrupt with power now. So much so, he was running a one-party election, which was unfair. Techno's internal compass told him to destroy governments. He even wanted to be rid of the Dream SMP kingdom. The only reason he hadn't was because of Dream. He really didn't want to be full enemies with the man. 

Phil's wings and arms are around him before he could say no or back away. Techno gave into the slight affection, patting his father's shoulders. "Alright. Time for me to go." He said, stepping away and waving to the Angel. "Oh… if what I do endangers you, I want you to return right to my place. Especially if you feel the instinct to kill." 

If the book was correct, summoning a demon may cause Phil to want to fight or kill it, as his ancestors did so long ago when the world was new. Techno had to take the correct precautions.

Phil frowned, staring at him for a long moment before nodding. "Alright, sure thing."

Techno shifted his bag and headed for the back wall, entering in a hole he'd made a few days ago. He went down the steps into a bunker he created between the wall and the stage and set his bag down. He got to work immediately as Wilbur and Tommy began to talk. 

"I'm running for President of L'manberg, as it's rightful ruler, with my vice president Tommy. I figured that it was unfair of me to declare myself president, and I feel we should put this up to an election. The people can elect me as president democratically," Wilbur said. "We'll be on the ballot as the party POG." 

Techno rolled his eyes and set out each of the items in the circle, placing Redstone around the entire thing. "Surree, Wilbur. So democratic. So free." He grabbed the torches he brought, placing them around the perimeter. 

There was some scuffling, a bit of fighting and shouting as someone else started to tell into the crowd. 

"And my name is Quackity, a new citizen of L'manberg. How come you're running a one-party election? That hardly seems fair!" He yelled. There were more sounds of shoving and fighting. "I'm running against you! As the party SWAG! You'd better put me on the ballot or I'm calling you out and rallying against you."

Oh. Techno paused in what he was doing to listen more carefully, his extra senses working to hear what this new person had to say. Interesting, someone else had called out Wilbur's power-hungry tactics. But Techno's idea of no government at all was much better. 

He shook his head, ignoring the rest of the speeches and debate as he focused on the actual summoning. Raising his hands out in front of him, he closed his eyes and began to speak. 

" **Demon of the Underworld, hear my call. This country needs to fall. I, Technoblade the Blood God, summon you. Follow my orders and rise. Lead my family to their demise** ." 

Techno repeated it three times, willing all of his magic power into his words, into the summoning circle. He could do this. His heart pounding, flooding his body with a tingling of power that rose with his voice. A strong wind picked up around him, swirling his cape and blowing out the torches. 

"What the fuck?!" Another voice, slightly deep in nature said from in front of him. 

Techno opened his eyes, breathing heavily. In the low light, he could make out a shadow of a man. No… the man had horns, like a goat, curling around the tufts of hair. And long, fluffy ears by his face. His eyes were bright red and slit like a goat. 

"Who the fuck are you? Where am I?" The man asked him. 

Techno summoned another torch to get a better look. It was a demon, he knew that much. It had worked. "I'm Technoblade. I'm a god. I summoned you to help me destroy a country." 

"A god eh? You dudes are the ones who banished me in the first place!" The demon shook his head disapprovingly. "Fuck off.  I ain't working for you." He flipped him off and headed for the stairs. "It's been forever since I've seen the world. Maybe it's time I left a mark on the world, did something impressive and manly before you kick me out again."

Techno moved to block his path. "Can you destroy or kill some people first?" He didn't have enough power to force or fight the demon to do anything. The summoning had left his arms sore and his head pounding. 

"If I feel like it. Look, I'm a creature of chaos, pure evil. You can't control me, even if you are a god. I get to do what I want, ok?" He laughed. "Oh, my name is Schlatt by the way!" Schlatt ran up the stairs and out onto the stage. 

Techno hid behind the curtains, watching to see what would unfold. But he wouldn't be able to stay, his strength was starting to wane and he'd need to get back to his base. 

"Uh… yeah hello guys. Is this… is this an election. A fucking election. Ya know what, I've always wanted to be President!" Schlatt pushed Quackity out of the way. "Move bitch." He stood out in front of the crowd, adjusting his suit. "I'll be my own damn President! I'm running against… against you! Fuck you."

Techno cursed his hand curling into a fist. "Goddammit. You were supposed to..." The demon wasn't supposed to run as President, he was supposed to kill Wilbur or set the country on fire or stop the election. Not be a part of the government.

Things were not going to end well. The voices in his head screamed: 'Destroy it all, kill your brothers.' And he didn't want to. But he had no options left. 

He would have to go against the government directly, and kill Wilbur. But not today. 

Techno needed to rest. 


	11. The Election

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Election Arc go brrr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm back with another update! I've now figured out the rest of the chapters and we have 6 more updates after this one until the end! Since I'm not going into Exile Arc in this fic, it's coming to a close. It will have an AU ending that I hope you guys enjoy! (there will be a happy ending I promise, well happy-ish. After all the angst)
> 
> I hope to update more often as my motivation for writing has come back! Thanks for sticking with me this whole time.

Four parties. 

Tommy couldn’t believe it when he stared down at the ballot in front of him. They’d tried so hard, fought for a country they created. If they didn’t win, he didn’t know what would happen. He didn’t want to lose the country. Quackity seemed like a nice man, maybe he’d be a good President. But Wilbur was the rightful pick, and Tommy would be there to be his right hand. After all, he’d given up the disks. 

His disks. 

Maybe he’d get them back one day. Who knows what Dream would do with his power in the future. But for now, Tommy had more pressing matters. 

“Wilbur… what happens if we lose?” Tommy’s voice wavered. His hand shook as he signed his ballot and slid it into the box. 

“Then whoever wins takes over. This is a democracy, Tommy. We can’t do anything anymore. It’s too late,” Wilbur said, following his action. “We already tried all we could, including offering to form a coalition government with Quackity.” He sighed. 

Right. Tommy remembered seeing the headlines in the newspaper about the political deal that Schlatt and Quackity had made. It was after they tried bargaining with him. His stomach filled with lead as they walked out of the town hall. There was nothing they could do but wait for the citizens of L’manberg to vote. 

Since the end of the war, the country had kept doubling in population, as new homes and people flocked from the Dream SMP and other small villages nearby. It was officially a country that housed many people, and over the months, Tommy had helped Wilbur oversee building projects. 

This place felt like home. More than the farmhouse ever did. A country he’d fought for, sacrificed for. A country for Wilbur to lead. He’d made history and kept his son safe, the two goals Tommy knew his brother wanted. 

Tommy didn’t want to lose his new home. If they lost the presidency, then the war and the disks would’ve all been for nothing. His side stung with phantom pain and he winced. The wound Dream had given him had healed well thanks to Phil, now just a patch of scarred skin. Still, he was worried. 

“Good luck, little kid!” Schlatt laughed on their way out, a bottle in his hand, his cheeks flushed. 

Tommy glared at him. The horned man gave off a power that Tommy could sense, like a god’s but somehow more chaotic and cold. He figured out that Schlatt was a demon, from Wilbur’s books and research, but it made sense. If angels existed and gods and monsters, then of course demons would too. “Fuck off. You should’ve stayed banished.”

Wilbur’s hand was on his shoulder, steering him away from the other candidate. “He’s a formal challenger, we can’t be rude or fight him.”

He pushed away from Wilbur but didn’t turn around to yell at the drunk. “Fine. Whatever. He’s so annoying, and curses as much as I do. He doesn’t deserve the Presidency just because he was banished from the land.” 

Wilbur shook his head and they walked towards the podium, awaiting the results. “Tommy, whatever happens, I need you to promise me something.” 

Here it was. Tommy knew what Wilbur didn’t want him to do, what he was going to say. Was he going to listen, eh, probably not. But he’d do his best because he wanted to live up to his brother's expectations and make him proud. “Yes?”

“We can’t start any wars. Promise me that. L’manberg deserves to be in peace for a while. Starting another war to get our spots back will make us seem like terrible people and villains. We will live peacefully under the rule of the President. You hear me?” Wilbur said, brown eyes burning into Tommy’s soul. 

Well, Wilbur had a point, but Tommy was hesitant. If the demon won, it would be his job as the hero to stop him. But if anyone else were to win, he would follow his brother's instructions. “Alright,” he replied, nodding. A half-lie. 

“Good.” Wilbur glanced at the sky, towards the setting sun. “It’s almost time. I’ll go get the envelopes, you stay here and greet the other candidates. Politely.” 

Tommy rolled his eyes but stayed put upon the stadium overseeing a much larger crowd than he expected. Fundy and Quackity joined him on the stage. It had been a while since he’d seen Fundy, the fox all grown up into a young man. He supposed Techno had been right in the end, considering he was only about a year old now. Weird how the world worked. 

“Hello, Fundy. Still running against your father?” Tommy crossed his arms. 

“Yes. Don’t get me wrong, Tommy. He’s still family. You’re still family. But I have a duty to this country, to make it better,” Fundy answered swiftly. 

Right, well, Tommy supposed he couldn’t be rude to him. He liked Fundy, well, most of the time. He turned at the sound of footsteps creaking the wood. 

Clambering up the stairs in his suit, a bottle still in hand, was the goat-man himself. He ran a hand through his hair, and glanced between the rest of the candidates. Luckily, he didn’t say anything or start any sort of drama. Yet. 

Tommy would keep his eyes on him though, just in case. A bell rang on top of the towers, and Wilbur returned with the results. A shiver ran down Tommy’s spine and he glanced up towards one of the taller towers. A familiar green hooded figure sat perched, a white mask glaring down on them. Of course, he was here, but only to watch. 

Tommy’s heart pounded as he watched Wilbur walk up to the podium. He stood by his side, tapping his foot anxiously against the stage, his gut curling with nerves. Please let them win.

“Ladies and Gentleman, I have here the election results of L’manberg’s first democratic election. The four parties are SWAG, POG, Coconut, and Schlatt. In fourth place, with nine percent, is Coconut. Third place, with sixteen percent, is Schlatt.” Wilbur announced. 

Tommy felt his heart soar, a smile on his face. They’d beaten the demon. Right? This was it. They were about to win. The crowd and everyone else clapped for the other candidates before Wilbur could continue. 

“In second place, with thirty percent, is…” he paused for effect. “SWAG, lead by Quackity.” 

Tommy let out a gasp, elation filling his body. He almost let out a cheer. Because that meant, it meant that-

“Meaning that, in first place, with forty-five percent, is POG, led by me,” Wilbur finished. 

Tommy cheered, jumping up. “We did it! We did it! We won, Wilbur.” He clapped for them, his chest warm. They’d done it. They’d made history and kept their place as leaders. Their home was safe for a few years. 

But Wilbur’s face was somber, serious, and he was calm. He wasn’t celebrating. “Quiet!” He called for the cheering crowd to quiet down so he could finish.

Wait. What? Why was this not something to celebrate? What was going on? Did they forget something?

Wilbur shook his head at Tommy, running a hand through his wavy hair. “On the night of the election, Quackity made a deal with Mr. Jschlatt. Quackity said that no matter what happens, he would pool SWAG votes with Schlatt.” 

The demon stepped forward, the bottle nowhere to be seen, and he started to chuckle. It was a low laugh but had power behind it that made Tommy shiver. He’d forgotten about their deal. Had… had they won? Did the combined votes actually work? How? 

“POG had forty-five percent of the vote. The coalition government of Schlatt and SWAG got forty-six percent. Meaning that, Schlatt won.” Wilbur finished, and slowly receded from the podium. “On this day, we inaugurate a new President.” 

Schlatt’s laugh grew, a louder, maniacal sound as he stepped towards the podium and gazed down upon the crowd. 

How did this happen? Tommy stared in awe, in horror, as his brother stepped down, handing the power, the control of the nation over to another man. They’d lost. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t accept this. Anger overtook shock, his hand curling into a fist as he refused to step off the stage. “No!” 

Wilbur was staring at him, his eyes pleading with him to not cause drama or start a fight, but how could he not. This man stole their nation. And Tommy was the hero he had to-

“Tommy. Get off my fucking stage,” Schlatt said, shooing him away with one hand while the other straightened his tie. 

“Tommy, we’re citizens now, listen to him,” Wilbur reminded him. 

His heart stung, his gut swirling with ice as he walked down the stairs away from the stage, from their rightful place as leaders. They joined in the crowd, taking seats in one of the front rows. Wilbur’s hand never left his shoulder, steering him, keeping him from lashing out. Tommy had a few weapons and potions on him. He could rebel now. 

Instead, he forced himself to take a seat on the cold bench, wrapping his arms around himself and staring up to the stage in horror. Tommy glanced up, to the tower where he could sense the masked god, and sure enough, he was simply sitting there, arm over his leg. Of course, he wouldn’t help, didn’t care. Stupid fucking green bitch. 

“ _ Well. That was pretty easy. You know what I said the day I got unbanned from the Dream SMP. I said things are going to change. I looked every citizen of L’manberg in the eyes and I said you listen to me … this place will be a lot different tomorrow. _ ” Schlatt began his speech, voice loud and clear. His words echoed off the buildings, and as he spoke, Tommy sensed a dark power growing.

He knew it wasn’t his imagination, for when he looked up again, Dream had walked away, heading off the tower and towards the kingdom. Something bad was coming, and the god knew it too. 

“Wilbur I… Wilbur,” Tommy’s voice wavered as he shook his brother’s shoulder, attempting to warn him. They had to go. They had to run. But fear took hold of his heart, of his head, and he couldn’t move his limbs, couldn’t talk. 

“ _ My first degree, as President of L’manberg. The EMPEROR! Of this GREAT COUNTRY! _ ” Schlatt’s voice grew, and the waves of dark magic echoed off him. 

Tommy’s blood turned to ice. He shook Wilbur harder. “Surely not. Will. Wilbur. Please-” 

Wilbur cut him off with a glare, telling him to stop it. But even Wilbur’s face was pale, eyes filled with fear. He was worried too. They both were. 

“ _ Is to REVOKE the CITIZENSHIP! Of WILBUR SOOT AND TOMMY INNIT!”  _

Tommy’s mind went blank. For a split second, he couldn’t think, couldn’t feel. 

And then it hit him. Hard. 

They were being exiled. Kicked out of their own home. The place they’d made, fought for, sacrificed for, risked their lives for. 

“Noooo!” He heard a girl scream, the Princess, Nikki, if he remembered correctly. And then knights lined up, holding out bows and swords towards Tommy and Wilbur. They were really being thrown out. By force. 

“Get 'em outta here. They’re no longer welcome!” 

Arrows flew towards them, and Tommy’s adrenaline and instincts finally kicked in over his fear and shock. He ducked and weaved, heading out of the rows of chairs and dodging the people in the crowd. 

Wilbur was just ahead of him. “Tommy! Tommy run!” He called to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward. 

Well, no fucking duh! He was running, away from the stage, away from L’manberg. His home. He ducked under more arrows, more daggers being thrown at them. Wilbur was less lucky, and Tommy heard his cry of pain as he was struck by an arrow. 

Dammit.

He reached into his pack, pulling out a potion and drinking it. He shoved another bottle into Wilbur's hands. 

This time he got it right. It was the invisibility potion. Tommy’s entire body tingled, and his head felt light and fluttery. When he glanced down at his hands, they were gone. Well, not gone, but invisible. He could feel them, but not see them. 

He struggled, stumbling over his own legs and other people as he fled. They made it outside the walls, out of breath, and leaning against the wall. Schlatt laughed, his voice echoing so loud they could hear it outside the nation’s walls. 

“ _ Wilbur Soot and Tommy Innit are merely a memory of L’manberg. A reminder of the DARKEST ERA this country has ever seen!”  _ Schlatt continued with his speech, leaving Tommy filled with more anger and fear. 

The emotions had nowhere to go, except to fuel his adrenaline to help them escape. They couldn’t stay here for long or they would be caught. He couldn’t see Wilbur, but there was a small puddle of blood on the ground from his wound. Tommy dug in his bag and held a bottle out to the area he suspected Wilbur to be in.

He’d made sure to pack healing potions and now he was grateful for it. The bottle was emptied and tossed aside. Hopefully, it would help his brother enough for them to get away. He scanned his eyes around the land. They had to go into the foresting, going back towards the farmland or Dream SMP Kingdom would be too dangerous. 

“Tubbo. Get up here on the stage!” Schlat called for him. 

What? No! Tommy’s heart lurched and he nearly ran back, to stop his best friend, his brother. He couldn’t leave him behind. They had to save him!

“Umm,” Tubbo’s voice sounded from the stage, unconfident and wavering. 

“Welcome to the Cabinet! You’re gonna be my Secretary of State. How does that sound, eh?” Schlatt laughed. 

No! 

Tommy went to run to stop him. But Wilbur’s hand somehow found his arm and yanked him back, holding him in place once again. Why? They could fight, they could do it. Right?

“ _ I need you to do something for me, Tubbo. I need you to find Tommy and show him the door. _ ”

“Oh, okay,” Tubbo sounded uncertain. “I’ll get on that Mr. President.”

“NO! Fuck you. Give me my brother back!” Tommy shouted, nearly giving away their location outside the walls. Wilbur’s hand on his arm pinched him, warning him to stay quiet. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t sit back while his best friend was...

_ But you have to. _

Tommy and Wilbur would die if they went back to get Tubbo, to save him. It was safer for him to work with the demon and not against him. Until they could regroup, get enough materials to fight back. 

Schlatt continued on with the speech. “ _ The sun rises over another beautiful day in our country. I reckon our nation needs to expand. I reckon we take down the walls.”  _

At this Tommy heard Wilbur gasp, nearly shouting out as well. The walls meant a lot for L’manberg. They meant safety and protection, as well as pride and love. They were strong, a symbol for the country’s peace. Wilbur had used them to protect from monsters and it was the walls that kept Fundy safe. Tommy helped Tubbo repair the walls multiple times, and now they were taking it down?

The demon was doing things to hurt Tommy and Wilbur. Choosing Tubbo to be in his cabinet would split him and his brother, and taking down the walls. It was on purpose. Tommy’s hands curled into fists as his blood boiled. “Those fucking bastards,” he whispered. 

Arrows flew towards them, and Tommy knew it was time to leave before Willbur got hurt again. He tugged on Wilbur’s arm and pulled him away, fleeing into the woods. He was half-carrying his brother, but it didn’t matter. He was strong and fast, dodging as many arrows and trees as he could. 

He ran deeper into the forest, animals moving away from them, and leaves crunching on the ground under his feet. The area became less and less familiar, and the farther they moved out, the less they could hear the crowd or Schlatt’s speech until everything was silent. 

Tommy stopped, slumping over onto a tree trunk with Wilbur at his side. The invisibility flickered out, and he could see the tears and blood on his brother, face pale and eyes dull. “We have to… the walls. I-” Wilbur croaked out, weakly staring out in the direction of the country. 

They couldn’t go back, but there was a hill nearby, it could provide them with a good view. And it would give Wilbur closure. At least, Tommy hoped. “Alright. We can watch.” He slung Wilbur’s arm over his shoulder and helped him up the hill, climbing over rocks and past trees to get a good look at the country. 

L’manberg’s tall walls were slowly beginning to crumble, with citizens working with pickaxes and TNT. More notably, an orange fox halfling in a black outfit, held a pickaxe, destroying the walls. The very thing that had helped him stay safe as he grew up the past few months. Fundy had chosen Schlatt’s side. 

Wilbur pushed away from Tommy and fell to his knees. He tilted his head back and let out a scream of pain, of agony. Tommy had never seen his brother so upset. He knew L’manberg meant a lot to him, as it did for all of them. He went to comfort him and was rejected by a shaking head. 

“ _ My son! My son is tearing down the walls in front of me! The walls I built to keep him safe. I promised him this world, Tommy, _ ” Wilbur cried out, voice growing louder. He stood, pointing at Fundy and the wall. Tears spilled down his cheeks. 

Tommy’s heart dropped. He didn’t know what to say. He stared at the walls, stray tears forming in his own eyes. They’d been kicked out of their own home. “I’m sorry… Fundy..”

“ _ L’manberg my unfinished symphony, my great unfinished symphony!”  _ Wilbur screamed, his fist clenching and his shoulder shaking. 

They watched as Fundy picked up a torch. He raised his hands, spun around to face the grand flag of L’manberg and it caught on fire, flames licking at the red and blue. 

Wilbur sniffled and wiped his tears. He was quiet for a few minutes, his eyes closed. And then he did something Tommy wasn’t expecting. He started to sing. 

_ “Well, I heard there was a special place. Where men could go and emancipate, the brutality and tyranny of their rulers. Well, this place is real, you needn’t fret. With Wilbur, Tommy, Tubbo, fuck Eret. It’s a very big and not blown up L’manberg. My L’manberg. My L’manberg. My L’manberg!”  _ Wilbur sang, his voice as beautiful and calming as Tommy remembered from when he was younger. 

But they needed to go. There was a gut feeling tugging at Tommy, telling him to leave, to flee and find shelter, especially as night began to fall and the sun set. Monsters would attack them if they couldn’t find a place to stay the night. 

He turned and scanned the area. They could climb a tree, but Tommy was looking for something more permanent. He grabbed Wilbur’s arm, helping him down the hill. He wasn’t sure where they were going, but he kept looking. 

“I’m not sure we can fucking do this, but we have to try. Right?” Tommy tried to talk with him, to calm his racing nerves and heart. 

“Yeah, we don’t have a choice, Tommy. But we’ll make it.” Wilbur’s voice was quieter, less Presidential, but given the situation, Tommy wasn’t going to judge. 

“Yeah! I’m a hero. I’m sure it’ll work out for us in the end. We need to create a new home and get some help!” Tommy laughed, faking the good mood. He had too. Whenever his friends were down, he could always cheer them up, rally them to his side. “Ya know, I think we should start another revolution. To take down the government!” 

His gut pulled in a certain direction, and he followed it without hesitation. He stopped in front of a cave that entered into a large underground ravine. This was it. Shelter. With plenty of materials to mine from. There were animals in the forest to hunt and berries to eat. He could hear running water coming from a creek nearby. 

Tommy grinned and let out a cheer. “Let’s do this! We can survive, this place has everything we need, Wilbur.” He pushed forward, entering the cave. He put Wilbur down against the wall and began to light torches and spread them around the cave and down into parts of the ravine. 

As he set up, an idea formed in his head. Their brother, the god. The god that hated governments. What if they teamed up to take out Schlatt? It would work. Techno was wise and older. He was strong and always had plenty of materials on him. 

Tommy turned to tell Wilbur, only to find his brother asleep. Well, no need to wake him up. 

If Tommy could summon Phil to their side accidentally, could he summon Techno to their side on purpose? Really, he hadn’t had much time or need to test out any sort of magic he was blessed with after going to the Ender Dragon. But he noticed that today he was more attuned to it. 

He’d been able to sense Dream, and Schlatt’s evil intentions, and dodge arrows. He was a bit stronger and faster than he’d ever been when fleeing with Wilbur. He even sensed where this cave was. 

While he may not have done a lot of those on purpose, it showed that Tommy was growing. “I’m really awesome!” He laughed, staring down at his hands. He could summon Techno, he knew he could. 

Tommy sat down, closing his eyes and concentrated. Memories of Techno flooded his head. 

“Come on Tommy, the portal is safe. I promise. It’s gonna be hot, but you’ll get used to it,” Techno had held out his hand for Tommy to hold. It was the first time he’d been to the Nether, with the god to protect him. He was only twelve at the time, but it was one of the coolest things ever. 

Tommy smiled and pressed his fingers into the solid rock. He thought of all their good times together, and of what happened today. Schlatt taking over, Wilbur being hurt, them being stuck in a cave with little supplies. “We need you, Techno. Please,” he whispered. 

The cave was silent but for a small breeze and Wilbur’s steady breathing. 

“You called? Did someone say Rebellion?” 

Tommy’s eyes flickered open and standing in front of him, in all his usual glory, was Techno. The god leaned against the wall, watching them with a grin. He did it! Tommy jumped up and gave his brother a hug. “Oh my fucking god it worked.” 

“Well yeah, actually. The tug from you was so strong it was nearly painful so I teleported,” Techno said. He pat Tommy’s head. 

“Can you help us?” Tommy asked, pulling away and glancing at Wilbur. 

“Yeah, I can do that. If it’s taking down the government, count me in. I’ll give you supplies. Here.” Techno held out a hand. A bed appeared on the wall, along with a few chests. “To get you started.”

“Yes! This is going to be the most epic rebellion ever!” 


	12. The Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur's character descent chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hii! Weekly update here. I hope you enjoy it! Man the streams lately though am I right. A lot going on in this fandom haha. I plan on finishing this fanfic soon but I have essays to write for school so we'll see.

L’manberg was gone. 

The country was under the control of another leader. A chaotic, maybe evil, leader. 

Wilbur spent the first few days in the cave in bed, refusing to get up or do anything. He often cried when Tommy wasn’t around, and then lied to the younger boy about how he was feeling.

It had nothing to do with his injury. The arrow wound was healing nicely between the potions and the sleep he was getting. But he would lie, saying it still hurt. In reality, his chest and his head hurt, burdened by the events of the Election.

Taking down the walls, burning the flag, and changing the name to “Manberg”. He’d heard the last one from Tommy, who often suck in or around the area to grab supplies for them. It destroyed the home, the historical masterpiece of Wilbur’s life. Even Fundy turned on him, believing Schlatt to be a good ruler. 

Wilbur stared down at his hands, unsure of what to do. He heard Tommy’s footsteps enter the cave. 

“So, I was thinking, this rebellion, this hideout of ours needs a cool name. Ya know how like we created the name for the country and for our party,” Tommy said. 

Wilbur was half-listening, still staring at his hands. What was he supposed to do now? If he wasn’t a leader, a musician, or an author, then who was he? He hummed in response to the younger boy. 

“So what are some cool names we could come up with.” Tommy paced back and forth in front of him. “Oh, I know! Our party name was POG, what if we did something off of that.” 

Honestly, Wilbur didn’t care about cool names. Not when the only ones they created seemed to fail and backfire in his face. He laid back down on the bed and turned his back to Tommy. “Do whatever you want.” 

Tommy’s footsteps stopped. “Pogtopia! It has a nice ring to it!” A warm hand was on Wilbur’s shoulder. “Wilbur, we’re going to take our home back. We’re going to fix everything. As the hero, I can promise you that this demon won’t be allowed to stay in power.” 

Wilbur tried to ignore him, but a weird tingling warmth filled him. Tommy’s power. He sat up, staring at his brother. “Did you just…” he trailed off. 

“Did I what? Do you like the rebellion name or should we change it?” Tommy crossed his arms. 

It made sense. Tragedy befell them and Tommy’s blessing from the Ender Dragon had kicked in as he became more mature, taking the place of a leader when Wilbur couldn’t. Sure he still had his childish nature and pranking tendencies, but in moments of desperation, Tommy was stronger.

“Your magic. From the Dragon. You used it to make me feel better, to rally hope.” Wilbur said. His brother always had the power to rally people and hype them up, but now it was more real than before. 

Tommy shrugged. “It’s been easier lately since I brought us here and summoned Techno.” His eyes went wide. “Oh! Maybe I could do the same thing with Tubbo. We really need to talk to him, to make sure he’s ok.” 

Wilbur moved his legs over the edge of the bed, for the first time feeling better. “Alright, we should talk to Tubbo. If you can get him here.” He stood, stretching and walking towards the exit of the cave where he stepped into the sun. 

Was there hope for L’manberg? Could they win it back? Wilbur’s doubts were heavy on his mind, in his heart, but Tommy’s hope and energy made him push them down. He could be a leader again. 

“Let's get an underground base, and a farm so you don’t have to steal. And yes, we can call this place Pogtopia.” Wilbur nodded, grabbing an enchanted pickaxe Techno must’ve left them. He began to dig stairs into the ravine so they could get materials. Tommy placed torches to keep out monsters and fought off some skeletons and zombies. 

When they took a break, Wilbur watched as Tommy sat down to summon Tubbo. He brought his notebook out, watching for any visible signs. After all, the best way to get his research was observation. 

Tommy, at first, looked no different than normal. Until faint purple sparks flashed around him, reminding Wilbur of Endermen. His brows were furrowed, but his shoulders were relaxed. Then he opened his eyes, laying back on the floor. “He’s on his way,” he muttered. 

“You can’t teleport him?” 

Tommy shook his head, staring up at the cave ceiling. “I fucking wish. I’m a god but my only power is to get women. Lots of them. They flock to me and tell me how strong I am!” He laughed. 

Wilbur laughed with him, glad the old Tommy was still here, he hadn’t completely changed from the war and the election. “Yes, so many women. You are quite popular.” He teased, writing a few things down in his notebook. 

While Tommy had the blessing and more magic, he wasn’t a god. He couldn’t use spells in the same way, couldn’t fly, or use creative mode. While he was a force to go up against Dream, he wasn’t on the same level as him, hence the special weapons. 

“Wilbur, I’m going to get our country back, and my disks.” Tommy sat up, his fists clenched. “I shouldn’t have given them to Dream, not when I know he’s bad news. Not when my sacrifice was ultimately worthless.” 

“Sounds good. I’ll help you. First, we need food and supplies, and Techno promised to train us. We also need information, and I’m thinking-” 

“TOMMY!” A familiar voice called out from the forest, cutting Wilbur off. Tubbo. 

Tommy jumped up, the exhaustion gone from his face as he raced out of the cave. Wilbur followed, to meet up with their brother for the first time since their banishment. He dodged trees, the forest air filling his lungs. In a way, this was freeing, living out here, not around anyway. Freedom. 

Tubbo was on a white horse, wearing a black suit that matched the demon’s. He smiled when he saw them and unmounted, wrapping his arms around Tommy. The two hugged for a moment, laughing and nearly crying. 

Wilbur watched, warmth filling his chest. Tommy and Tubbo would always be inseparable, no matter the circumstances. Best friends until the end. Tubbo hugged Wilbur afterward. “It’s so good to see you guys!”

“Yeah, man. How is the job? Do you get lots of women? And is Schlatt always a fucking bastard?” Tommy asked, bouncing on his feet as they walked back towards the cave. 

Tubbo laughed as he scanned over the cave. “Actually, this is not bad. And well, Schlatt is um…” He trailed, his eyes staring at the ground. “Controlling a bit. He wants us to do all the work while he drinks or works out in a private gym he’s built.” 

Wilbur opened his notebook, writing it down for later, just in case. “Tubbo, we need your help.” He started. 

“Yeah, what can I do for you, Wilbur?” 

If they were to win a war against another tyrant they needed information. If he had learned anything from his favorite story growing up it was that spies were an important way to win a war. “Tubbo I need you to be my spy on the inside. Please, you can travel here when you have time and give us updates.” Wilbur waved his book. “This is how we get our country back.” 

Tubbo grinned. “Yes! I can take the information and smuggle it.” 

Wilbur laughed, remembering the lines from the story, he was almost spot on. “Good, now anything else you can tell me about?” He sat down quill at the ready. 

“Well, I don’t know much at the moment, but Schlatt has us build a lot, day and night. He wants a hotel, and a personal bar, and more houses. He also gives me a lot of paperwork, which is not fun.” Tubbo paused, tapping his chin. “Oh! Yeah, there’s a festival in a few months. He wants us to start setting it up soon, after the other projects.” 

“Will there be women at the festival? Tubbo, I need a girlfriend,” Tommy asked, practically whining. “We’re so alone out here. There’s nobody else.” 

Tubbo laughed. “Yeah, there should be women there. But Tommy, you guys aren’t allowed at all. If Schlatt catches you in the border, I bet he’ll have Quackity or me kill you and I don’t want to do that.” 

“Fuck him. We’re going to the damn festival, right Wilbur?” 

Wilbur was busy jotting down his notes about Schlatt, pausing in his writing when Tommy said his name. He thought about the risks. “We may be able to go, but we need Techno’s help and training.” 

Could they even do it? He wasn’t sure. It seemed impossible but they had to try. For L’manberg. For his family. 

\------

Their base grew including an underground farm and chests of supplies they mined. But as the months passed and the festival grew closer, Wilbur had more and more doubts. They spiraled in the back of his mind, keeping him up late at night, and causing him to distract himself as much as possible. 

Until Wilbur felt like getting back into bed and never getting up because these thoughts were going to kill him. 

This was wrong. All wrong. Schlatt had made Manberg a strong country, a beautiful one even without the walls. Despite his treatment of Tubbo, he was a leader, and democratically elected. Could Wilbur even take him down? What would the people think? What would Fundy think?

His own son had put faith in the demon. More faith than he ever had in Wilbur. 

It wasn’t even L’manberg anymore. It was Manberg, and the people, the places had changed over the months. It wasn’t his home, not the way he remembered it. 

But then where was his home? Did he have one? Where did he belong? 

Curling up into the bed, Wilbur held his head and screamed. 

“SHUT UP!” 

For a moment, it seemed to clear his head, to relax him. But he knew it wouldn’t last because it couldn’t. He couldn’t outrun his own mind. 

Footsteps echoed nearby and Tommy was at his side. “Wilbur what’s gotten into you?” 

“Leave me alone,” Wilbur muttered. He didn’t want to deal with the teen right now. And he didn’t want him to cheat and make him ‘feel better’ with that damn magic of his. 

“But you just screamed and-”

“I said leave me the fuck alone. Get the fuck out! I feel like shit and you need to go!” Wilbur sat up, glaring at him, hoping he would get the message. 

Tommy put his hands up and stepped back, nodding. He walked back down the stairs into the ravine, leaving Wilbur alone in the cave. 

He hadn’t meant to be rude to his brother, but the doubts about their rebellion seemed to get worse as they got closer and closer to the date of the Festival that Tubbo talked about. They were playing on staging their fight there, but the more Wilbur thought about their plan, he worried if what he was doing was right. 

He needed to go back, to hear the speech announcing the festival today. To make up his mind once and for all. Wilbur called for Tommy to apologize and tell him the plan. They were going back, but only for the speech at noon. Wilbur grabbed his book and a few invisibility potions as they saddled up on their horses and left. 

As they got closer, he could see how much the country had changed. There was a new flag, Red and Black, and so many new buildings. Houses, but also a new White House, a hotel, a park, and a large field for the festival. This wasn’t the place Wilbur remembered at all. Everything that reminded him of old L’manberg was gone. Even the Hto van had been taken down. 

Wilbur signaled for Tommy to follow him, crouching low as they climbed one of the larger towers. 

_ “I want to drive home the idea that this celebration will be about Manberg. A celebration of Democracy, of law, and of a new era of peace that has been brought forth by my administration.”  _ Schlatt’s voice rang out. He fixed his tie, briefly glancing up at the tower they were on. 

Did he see them? Wilbur crouched, but Tommy had out a crossbow. Wilbur shook his head at him, suggesting that it was a bad idea. He wondered if the demon could sense Tommy, being on opposing sides and having some sort of magic. 

Wilbur didn’t want to take any chances, but he’d made up his mind. He waved for Tommy to follow him. They climbed the ladder down the tower and ran the rest of the way towards their horses.

“I could’ve taken my shot. He’d be dead and then we would have our country back!” Tommy whined, shaking his head. 

“It wouldn’t make a difference, Tommy. Quackity would be President and continue his work. Schlatt would become a martyr. Plus, I doubt he can die. He’ll be sent back where he came from, but someone could summon him again. He’s not mortal like us. He’s more on a god level.” Wilbur explained. From his research, he’d done it would be harder to permanently kill a demon.

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Fucking goat that’s what he is. I hate him. We’ll get the country back, don’t worry!” 

Wilbur wasn’t sure. He’d made up his mind already seeing the country again after a few months. It was time for them to say goodbye. 

“Tommy…” Wilbur paused. “Are we the bad guys? Because we made ourselves the leaders, and now we’re trying to overthrow a democratically elected President.” 

Tommy stared at him, his lips moving but Wilbur didn’t hear any words, so he continued.  _ “Tommy, am I the villain in this story? Am I a villain in your history?” _ Wilbur repeated, stopping his horse just to talk, to prove his point. 

“No. We created L’manberg, we should’ve won the vote. Plus, have you forgotten I’m the hero.” Tommy laughed, crossing his arms. “You’re not the villain, Wilbur.” 

He wasn’t so sure about that. Not anymore, not with the doubts and the thoughts in his head. Now they were bursting open, spilling onto his lips. “ _ Me and you, we both agree we’re right. We’re in the right here, aren’t we?” _

_ “Well yea, I’m always in the right!”  _ Tommy grinned, sitting up straight, head held high. 

Wilbur returned the smile, but he could feel how forced it was, how cracked it was. He wasn’t the same. He’d never be the same after this. He couldn’t have L’manberg, he couldn’t have Fundy, or Sally. And now, he was fighting for the wrong side, the wrong thing. It was messed up, and that’s what made it so perfect, so poetic.

_ “Then let’s be the bad guys! Our nation’s gone, our nation’s far behind us, Tommy.”  _ Wilbur hopped off his horse at the cave, pacing back and forth. This was it. He could never go back. But something about this, something about being bad made him feel good. He’d lost everything, and now, he wanted to make someone pay. 

His chest burned as he turned to Tommy.  _ “Let’s blow that motherfucker to smithereens! I say if we can’t have Manberg, then NO ONE, NO ONE CAN HAVE MANBERG!”  _

Tommy backed away from him, frowning and shaking his head. “N-no, Wilbur. I think…. I think that's not right. No. We’re not, we’re not blowing anything up, okay?” 

No. No. Tommy was wrong. It was all wrong. Wilbur knew, he knew it was the right thing to do. To blow it up. L’manberg’s story was over, it was over. It died when he lost the election. Now, he needed to make sure that nobody else could take his story, his history. 

“ _ This is a new Era, Tommy. We BURN that place to the FUCKING GROUND. I want it all GONE!”  _ Wilbur yelled, a laugh bubbling in his chest. He let it out, not even looking at Tommy. 

“Wilbur…” Tommy sounded uncertain, exasperated. He walked past Wilbur and down the stairs into the ravine. “I don’t… I don’t think so. We’re not villains. We’re going to get L’manberg back, I promise.” 

Of course, he didn’t understand. Tommy was still a kid, growing taller day by day, but still too young to get it. That’s fine. Wilbur didn’t need him to carry out a plan. He needed Dream. He needed a god. A god that would be fine giving him TNT. A god that liked chaos, that liked destruction. He’d made up his mind to visit the god as soon as possible. 

“It isn’t too far gone, Wilbur. We can rebuild, we can restore it to its former glory. I gave up my disks to keep our nation, and I won’t rest until I get them and our country back. I swear to all the fucking gods of this world we can do this,” Tommy said, stepping closer to him. He flashed a confident smile. 

Wilbur laughed, the scratchy sound leaving his throat almost unrecognizable as his own. “ _ I know why you’re doing this, Tommy. I know it, I see it in your eyes. I see it. I can hear it in your voice. Tommy Innit, you’re scared.”  _ Wilbur stepped closer, his arms spread out, gesturing grandly. He backed Tommy into a corner, standing over his younger brother, the shadows over him. _ “When I said you’re never going to be President, that wasn’t a challenge. That’s true. You’re never going to be President.”  _

Tommy frowned, his face pale and eyes practically cowering in fear. “N-no, no. Wilbur, stop. Stop it right now!”

But he didn’t want to. It was fun, so much fun. The idea of hurting people at the festival, of killing them all in a massive explosion. That would be it. Gone. Boom! Wilbur grinned. “ _ Everyone who’s claiming to be on our side is lying to us. Tubbo? He’s lying to you!”  _

“STOP IT!” Tommy yelled, his hand coming up and slapping Wilbur. 

His cheek stung, the pain awakening him a bit, but not to his sense of self. That was lost. He was too far gone now. Wilbur rubbed his cheek and stared at his brother. 

“We’re not going to be blowing anything up. End of discussion. Wilbur, you’re being insane. I think you need a break. Go outside, go take a nap, but don’t come back to tell me more of your crazy ideas.” Tommy stood tall, going into the underground farm to their right. 

Wilbur rolled his eyes. “Sure whatever, Tommy. Fucking heroes.” 

\------

“You want TNT?” The god crossed his arms, his head tilted. “To do what?” 

“To blow up Manberg, of course. It’s over, I lost everything. That demon took it from me and now he and everyone who’s lying to me need to pay.” Wilbur explained. Dream would understand, he knew it. 

“I see.” Dream nodded. “I can do that for you, but Wilbur, I can do you one better.” He paced around the room until he faced him again. 

“You see,” the god started, “I have a plan. I don’t like the demon either, and I don’t like factions on my land. No more countries, no more wars. Just us, together. My plan involves using Schlatt to get something I want, something special, and using the war as a cover-up so you can blow up the country.” 

“I want to blow it up now. At the festival,” Wilbur tried to make that clear. Though he was curious as to what the god was planning, what he was talking about. 

“No. I need you to fake that. To pretend like you’re going to and then back off at the last moment. They need to think you can’t do it when you will. It will work. I promise in the end, in a few months, the destruction of Manberg will happen.” Dream tapped a finger against the blade of his axe. 

“Are you sure?” Wilbur stared at him. How did he know everything? Had he… had he really been planning this? For how long? 

“Positive. You see Wilbur,” Dream stood up, stepping over to his desk. A few books were there, but the main piece was a chessboard. He picked up a piece, moving it into a checkmate position. “This world is a game of chess. You guys are pawns. You act predictably, and you fall for lies, for anything I tell you. Because I control this game. I have plans for this world, and I will help you.” He turned to Wilbur. “As long as you swear to be my pawn.” 

Wilbur stared between the board and the god, red alarms blaring in his brain. But he needed his help, his plan, his power. No matter what happened, ultimately, this was the only way to get what he wanted. So be the price. 

  
“ _ Dream, I want to be your vassal.”  _


	13. The Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed last weeks update I'm sorry! I have like three essays for school which means all my writing is going into homework sadly. I have no motivation to write fic with essays. But I'm doing my best! Thank you all for reading and commenting. We're almost done with this story! Enjoy!

Technoblade didn’t care for festivals. They were annoying, full of too many people, loud music and boring games. Of course, he was sent a formal invitation from the government that went straight into the fireplace.

He would go, but only to find a way to take down Schlatt. He figured the easiest way was through an accidental mishap in the fireworks since he and Phil were commissioned to do the fireworks show. 

But, then Dream had sent him a letter. A letter detailing a plan, a plan for war, for destruction, for taking down the government. It said he had to wait on killing Schlatt. Something about a special book or power demons had that he wanted. Whatever the case was, Techno resigned to only hurting the man, not killing him. 

If Dream had a plan, he should probably trust the literal god of control and wait. Plus, he had no reason to go against him right now. But Techno needed chaos, he needed bloodshed, and the voices had grown louder over time. 

So he packed up a stack of fireworks and his launcher, as well as his best weapons and armor. Maybe he’d cut off the demon’s horn or two, make it into a potion. An interesting ingredient. If Phil's feathers made super strong healing potions, could a demon's horns make super-strong harming potions? Or maybe strength. Who knew. 

Techno grabbed the last of his supplies and left his house, opting to leave his horse here. He could teleport to Pogtopia. Wilbur and Tommy were expecting him to go with them, help them sneak in, and protect them. 

He would. He was their brother after all, and even though he may eventually betray them, he would do his best to make up for it. 

“You made it!” Tommy ran towards him when he saw Techno appear. “Did you bring the stuff?” 

Techno rolled his eyes and handed him some extra armor, a sword, and a few invisibility potions. “Yes, here you go.” 

“Hello, Techno.” Wilbur waved. There were bags under his eyes, and his normal outfit had been replaced with a large brown trench coat and a red hat. He grinned, eyes sparkling with something Techno had never seen in his brother. Bloodlust. 

“Hello, Wilbur. Are you ready to go to the festival?” He asked, offering him the invisibility potion.

Wilbur stared at it then dismissed it, waving his head. He stood up, walking towards the cave exit. “I don’t need it. I don’t fucking care. Let’s go.” 

Techno watched him carefully and noticed how Tommy strayed away from Wilbur, even as they got on their horses.  **_He’s crazy. He wants chaos. Join him. Kill them all._ ** The voices in his head echoed over and over. 

Had Wilbur really changed? What happened? This wasn’t Techno’s brother, not the man he knew, grew up with. He wasn’t a god, he didn’t have voices, or powers of chaos. So did losing L’manberg really do this to him?

Techno raised into the air, flying alongside them as they rode along. 

“Tommy, are you ready? We’re going to blow this whole party up. No more Manberg, no more happiness.” 

“Fuck off, Wilbur you’re not doing it. It's not right. I already told you how I feel. I’m not joining you. You don’t have to do this,” Tommy yelled back, passion in his voice. 

“Oh, but I do.” Wilbur raised a hand, snapping his fingers. “You don’t see it, do you? The beauty of it, the irony. My unfinished symphony will be forever unfinished.” He clicked his tongue. “Sucks that you can’t fucking see it.” 

Techno listened in, not saying anything. Wilbur’s voice had changed. He had lost it. This was a broken man, his brother wasn’t himself. A part of Techno was sad, upset even that his brother had become this, but the other part of him was glad. Glad that Wilbur had given into chaos, into bloodshed. 

“Just shut the fuck up, man,” Tommy said, shaking his head. 

Techno ignored their bickering, landing on the ground outside of the field they were using for the festival. It had been decorated with large lights, stands, and bright flags. A crowd milled around, and the smell of food raised into the air. Techno winced at how many people were here. He hated crowds, despised being around this many people for so long. 

He scanned for a place that Tommy and Wilbur could hide and pointed them towards one of the towers near the podium. “Up there. The speeches will start soon.” Even from his distance, Techno could make out the small figures of Tubbo, Quackity, and Schlatt standing on the stage. 

His fingers itched for his rockets, for his fireworks, but he would have to be careful. He wanted to harm them, not kill them. And even then… Tubbo was supposed to be his brother. They were never close though, not like the bond between Tommy and Tubbo. 

Wilbur and Tommy ran through the crowd, using people as cover as they headed towards the roof of a nearby building. Techno ignored them, scanning for Phil. Large wings weren’t hard to find in a group of nearly all humans. Sure, there were a few cat or mob halflings, but no Angels. His eyes found a man in a green coat with wings. Phil. 

He walked towards him. “Phil, do you have the rest?” 

“Of course. When are we starting?” 

Techno paused. The fireworks show wasn’t until after the speeches, but if he wanted to hurt people, he would have to do it immediately after when Schlatt was still on stage and the people were still on the lawn. “As soon as the last word of the speeches.” 

Phil’s eyes scanned and found Wilbur and Tommy. “Are they going to be okay?” 

Techno shrugged. “As long as they don’t get in our way. Plus, this isn’t meant to kill a bunch of people, just harm. Dream told me he has a plan to get rid of the government, of the country once and for all.” 

“Oh, he did.” Phil chuckled, nodding. “Is Wilbur okay? He hasn’t written to me, and it looks like they’re arguing.” His wings opened, threatening to fly over. 

Techno stepped in front of him, shaking his head. Now wasn’t the time, the speeches would start any moment. Plus, whatever was going on with Wilbur would be resolved. Maybe. “Leave them. Wilbur is … not himself anymore. I don’t think there’s anything we can do.” 

Phil seemed conflicted, but he glanced at the stage and the bag of fireworks in his hand. “Sure. Let’s go,” he said. 

Techno weaved through the crowd with Phil, pushing past people and not caring who he shoved to the ground or stepped on. He was a god, stronger than anyone. It wasn’t like they could hurt him. A few men tried to punch him but he dodged and punched back harder. He didn’t care. The voices wanted more. He had to tell them to wait. 

Phil and Techno found their spot next to the stage on the right-hand side, and grabbed the rocket launchers, handing one to Phil. “I enchanted the launchers, they’ll do extra damage. Remember to aim above the crowd but low enough to hit Schlatt and even some people in the front rows.” 

“Understood,” Phil hesitated, his brows furrowed.

Techno knew why he didn’t like this. Angels weren’t meant to hurt others, but in this case, there was a demon involved. Techno was using this to his advantage because he knew Phil’s instincts did want to hurt the demon, banish him. This would work. 

Schlatt cleared his throat and let out a loud yell, one that would silence the entire crowd and gather them towards the field. The speeches would start shortly. 

Techno glanced at Wilbur and Tommy still on the roof. They’d stopped fighting, and Wilbur seemed to be sad, sitting on the edge curled up, while Tommy simply glared at Schlatt. Whatever had happened between them had been resolved for now. 

“Welcome! To the Manberg Festival.” Schlatt’s voice rang out across the field, people whispering or talking in low voices. “This is our celebration of democracy, now that we’ve gotten the corrupt traitors who will not be named, our country has grown. Enjoy your stay in our land. There will be a new hotel coming out as well as some new residential apartments in the new towers.” 

Techno huffed, glancing down at the fireworks, itching to shoot the demon now.  **_Down with the government. Do it. Give us blood._ ** Right. The voices were stronger, his bloodlust growing as he hadn’t done much other than farming and exploring. 

All in due time.

“This festival was set up by my right-hand man. Tubbo, get up here!” Schlatt waved over, turning to face the boy.

Tubbo stumbled over to the stage, glancing around warily. He seemed nervous, and Techno noticed his eyes go to the building that Wilbur and Tommy were on. Ah, right. Tommy and Tubbo would never split. He was still sided with them. 

Techno didn’t want to hurt Tubbo, but if he was still on stage when they fired, he had no choice. Tommy would be mad, but Tubbo would heal. It would be fine. Right? He hated going against his brothers, but Schlatt had to be weakened and now. 

Tubbo started to talk, giving a speech and reading off some notes about how great Manberg was. Blah. Blah. Blah. Techno didn’t care. He tapped his foot, loading a firework into the launcher. His fingers twitched, itching to aim and hit the trigger. 

Phil’s hand was on his shoulder. “Almost. Patience, Techno.” 

“I know. I know.” 

Schlatt stepped up in front of Tubbo, a dark chuckle rising from his throat. The same sound at the election when he won. “Tubbo, oh Tubbo.” He clicked his tongue, shaking his head. 

He pulled out chains, towering over Tubbo, who was slowly backing up. He kicked him, knocking him over to the ground. “I know what you’ve been up to. I don’t know if you know this, but treason isn’t exactly, uh respectable thing around here.”

Techno almost dropped the rocket launcher, reaching for his sword. Phil was already ahead of him, wings spread wide and ready to jump in to save Tubbo. 

Schlatt turned and looked directly at Techno. “Well, well. The fucking god who summoned me, who took me out of retirement. Why don’t you come up here, eh? I got a job for you. You like blood and chaos don’t you?” 

Techno hesitated, glancing at Phil. “I…” He could feel the burning of hundreds of eyes on him. He gulped, hating the pressure, the attention. He wasn’t meant for this. He lived alone for a reason. He whispered to Phil. “I… I won’t kill him. Don’t stop me, Phil.” 

“Technoblade, I’m on a tight schedule. Ain’t fucking got time for your angel friend. Come on now,” Schlatt waved to him. 

Techno stepped over to the stage with his fireworks in hand, ready to shoot Schlatt in the face. If he aimed right it wouldn’t kill him, but would injure him greatly. He still didn’t like the burning of the eyes of the crowd on him. 

Tubbo struggled in his chains, wide-eyed at Techno. Techno’s focus wasn’t on him. 

“Now, since he’s a fucking rat, a spy, don’t you think he needs to be killed. Go ahead, kill him.” Schlatt said. 

Techno hesitated, his hand shaking as he held his launcher, aiming it towards Tubbo.  **_DO IT. KILL HIM._ ** No. Techno wouldn’t. He couldn’t kill his own brother. 

Tubbo was shaking with fear, eyes pleading with him, lips moving but no words coming out. Only soft whimpers of fear. No wonder Dream liked to mess with Tubbo and Tommy, the fear for the other god would be intense. 

“Right now, on this fucking stage!” Schlatt stomped his foot down. 

Techno’s finger shifted to the trigger, ready to pull. But at the last second, he spun on his heels and launched the rocket above Schlatt’s head. He loaded another and hit again, and again. The explosions shook the stage, his body, rattling his ears. He dug his feet into the ground to stay standing.

He could feel the heat, the force, but as a god it didn’t harm him, couldn’t. Not with his power, not with his god apples. “TECHNOBLADE NEVER DIES!” He yelled, the splatter of Schlatt’s blood on his shirt and at his feet. He laughed, feeling the power flowing through his veins, energizing him. 

When the smoke cleared, he could see Schlatt on the ground, a horn ripped off, and several cuts and burns on his body. He wasn’t dead, not by the low grunts of pain and struggles to get up despite ripped clothes. Techno turned, seeing Tubbo on the ground. His heart dropped. 

He hadn’t aimed near him, he should be… 

The boy seemed rattled, with a few burns along his arms and side, part of his clothes ripped. But his eyes were open and he was sitting up, both good signs. Just injured. Luckily, Phil was on the stage a moment later, large wings wrapping around Tubbo and carrying him away to be healed. 

Techno picked up the broken demon horn, stashing it away. He could use this and find out the special properties it had. Schlatt staggered to his feet weakly, swaying as he pointed a finger at Techno. “I… fuck you.” He spat. 

“Consider this your warning. There will be a war, you’re going to lose. Us gods are going to banish you, send you back to your realm,” he said, turning on heal and climbing down the stage, inspecting the damage.

A few people in the front row were injured or dead. Not that he cared. The bloodshed satisfied him as the voices were completely silent once again. It would be a bit before they returned. 

“You fucking bastard! I trusted you to help us!” 

Oh. Well if it wasn’t his other brother. Tommy. The angered child stomped over to him on the field, glaring at him. “Fuck you. You weren’t supposed to hurt Tubbo. He’s your own fucking brother, and on our side.”

“Look man, I was peer pressured. Tommy, you know how much I hate crowds and attention on me.” Techno shrugged, walking past him. “Plus, he’s with Phil now, probably all healed and everything.” 

“Doesn’t matter! Your actions matter Techno. You were supposed to rescue Tubbo, not hurt him!” Tommy yelled. 

“Boys, boys, why don’t you settle this the right way,” Wilbur laughed, interrupting them. He tilted his head, hands in his pockets. “There’s a fighting pit nearby, a boxing ring. Why don’t you fight it out like men, eh?” 

Techno didn’t care. He would win any fight. Even if Tommy was the hero or whatever. He still didn’t understand why Tommy was chosen, he was reckless and violent too.

“Yes. Let's fight, Techno. Me vs you, no armor, no weapons! I want to fucking kick your ass. You shouldn’t have hurt Tubbo!” Tommy growled, glaring at him before heading in the direction of the boxing ring. 

“Alright,” Techno said, rolling his eyes. He stepped up to the empty boxing ring and stepped inside, taking off any armor and handing his weapons to Wilbur. He didn’t even need to use any sort of godly power or instincts, not against Tommy. And it was only hand-to-hand, which he’d trained him in years ago. He knew his moves. 

Tommy raced for him, arm extended with full force, and Techno sidestepped, allowing Tommy to run into the edge of the ring. When the kid ran towards him, he moved and punched his arm and then kicked his feet, knocking him down. 

Tommy was fast to get on his feet, ducking under Techno’s side and punching his shoulder from behind. It was a good move, but the pain throbbing there was minor, and he could barely feel it. He turned swiftly, arm extended, and hit Tommy straight in the nose, breaking it. 

Blood spilled over Tommy’s lips and dripped onto the floor as he cried out in pain, cursing excessively. “Ok, ok, jeez you win. You win.” He backed out of the ring, grabbing at his bag to get extra bandages. 

Techno sighed, knowing this would be the outcome. He glanced over at Wilbur who had a wild grin on his face with dark eyes. The bloodlust was still here, he was still crazy. 

“Fuck you man, you could have just saved Tubbo, talked to Schlatt, and stalled him.” 

Oh, Tommy was still on this? Really? 

Techno shook his head. “ _ Tommy, the thing is, you’re using words. But the thing about this world. Tommy, is that the only universal language is violence. We’ve had that conversation. We’ve spoken that conversation in the pit. It’s over. On to a new day, a new plot to destroy Manberg.”  _

He stepped close to him, looking his brother in the eye to make sure he understood. When Tommy’s eyes flashed with fear, but also with familiarity, Techno knew they were good. He turned around, waving to them. “I’ll see you for the big war.” 

“War?” Tommy frowned. 

“Oh right, you didn’t know. Today was a setup, the first declaration of war against Schlatt. I’ll have all the supplies soon,” Techno said. “See you then!” 

And he teleported back to his house in the snow. He watched the flakes fall outside his window. 

Finally, some peace and quiet. 


	14. Warning Signs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still have low motivation for this fic, but I'm doing my best to update semi-regularly. Thank you all for reading and commenting!!

Tommy didn’t want Tubbo to die. They were the closest brothers, and he couldn’t imagine a life without him, or without the disks. The more days that passed, the more he regretted giving the disks to Dream for independence. It turned out to be a shit deal. 

Phil took care of them after the festival, healing Tubbo and protecting Tommy from Wilbur. 

Wilbur… 

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, his brother had gone crazy and he was broken, deeply so by losing his country and his son. Even Phil and Wilbur had arguments, the yelling intense until Wilbur left, often for days at a time. Their father disagreed with his plan, even calling him a terrorist. 

Even though Tommy managed to walk Wilbur down from blowing everything up at the festival, he was still determined to do so anyway, claiming a day would come where he would. Where it would be all gone. 

Tommy had a feeling it was somehow connected to Dream. The god who lied, who manipulated, but at least he never betrayed them like Techno. Both gods were a danger. To their families, to their friends. And it would be his job to stop them. 

But he wasn’t ready. Would he ever be ready? He needed to be because the world couldn’t handle the two gods full of chaos and bloodlust. He wondered if he could go back to the Ender Dragon and ask for advice or training. But something in his gut told him he had to figure it out on his own or it would be worthless. 

Tommy sat over Tubbo as he slept, the deep burns healing nicely. Now they were large, lumpy scars. Phil had said the scarring would go down with more healing magic, but he would always have marks from the explosion. 

“Fuck you, Techno,” Tommy hissed, mad their older brother had such disregard for Tubbo’s life. He shook his head, standing up and pacing in the cave. What was he going to do next? 

He had to stop Wilbur. And get his disks back. Which meant he needed to confront Dream… the damned god could lie all he wanted to others, but it wouldn’t work on Tommy. 

He grabs his bag and sword and leaves the cave, heading straight for his horse. He mounts and heads off in the direction of the kingdom, heading closer and closer to Dream. 

No need to tell Phil or Tubbo, it would worry them. He could handle this. He was just going for a chat, for a declaration of sorts. And… for information on Wilbur, because he knew the god was behind Wilbur’s TNT. There was no other person that had access to that many explosives aside from a god. 

Tommy arrived at the castle, and snuck inside past the guards, many of them gullible. And he navigated his way through the hallways. He got side-tracked twice by all the rich items and monuments, but he could sense Dream, his power. 

They were two sides of the same coin. A hero and a villain. He knew what Dream’s power felt like. It was strings, like a puppet for his manipulation, and spirals for his lies. The closer he got, the more he felt strings wrap around his wrists and neck, tightening. 

“What do you want, Tommy?” The voice came from behind him. Dream leaned against the hallway wall, his axe strapped to his back. 

“My disks you fucker. L’manberg is gone, the deal's off.” 

“Ah, but it doesn’t work that way.” Dream shook his head. “We never made a formal god deal, and even if we did, it's not gone. It's just… under new management.” 

“You know what I mean.” Tommy held out his hand. “Give them to me, Dream.” 

Dream pushed off the wall, stepping closer. The strings of power tightened on Tommy’s wrists. “No. They’re mine now. You gave them up, Tommy. It’s no use. See, these disks have power, over you, over everyone. I can’t just hand them over to a child.” 

The fear. Tommy had to resist it, ignore what he was doing. “Listen here you green motherfucker. You’re going to give me the disks or I’m going to kill Spirit,” he said as seriously as he could. 

Dream laughed, the sound echoing in the hallway. “Go ahead. Kill him, kill my horse. I can just summon him. Hell, with Schlatt’s book, I can bring him back. Tommy, face it, you’re no match for me. I’m too powerful. Why don’t you head on home, eh? I’m sure Tubbo and Phil miss you.”

Wait, did he just say bring the horse back to life. Since when could he do that? Was that even possible? Tommy ignored that statement in favor of pulling out his sword and glaring at him. This time, he was going to use his own power, hero magic. Not to fight him, but to show him that he was a threat. 

“Really? You’re going to fight me? Look, kid, you’re not on my level and I don’t think Techno wants me to accidentally kill you, so, no,” Dream said, sighing. 

“Dream. I’m going to get my disks back. And I’m going to stop Wilbur. I know you set him up, I can see the strings. But you can’t control me, you fucker. You might be able to for anyone else, but not me.” Tommy lifted his sword and cut the strings from his wrist. 

A weight lifted from his shoulders and he raised his sword into the air, forcing the magic out of him. Any of it he could. A bunch of guards ran down the hall, their footsteps pattering. But instead of attacking Tommy, their swords and arrows aimed at Dream. 

Dream stared at Tommy in shock. “How did you-” he got cut off as he blocked an arrow with his axe.

Tommy took that as his chance to run down another hallway, all the way outside the castle and back to his horse.

He’d done it! He’d shown Dream who was boss. And it was the first time he’d manifested actual power on purpose in a fight! He was getting better and better. Maybe he could use the disks on time. 

And now, he knew. He knew that war was coming. It was in the air, the storm clouds would be rolling in in a few short weeks. 

\------

“We have visitors,” Phil said. “They found their way here using a compass tied to you, Wilbur. I think you want to talk to them.” 

Visitors? Tommy stood up, Tubbo at his side. “Who is it?” He asked before Wilbur responded. 

Phil glanced between Tommy and Wilbur. “I’d think you should take care of it, Wilbur.” 

Wilbur rolled his eyes, cursing as he left his writing table and walked out of the door. Tommy followed him, frowning. Who could want to talk to them? He didn’t sense Dream or Techno, or even Schlatt. It made Tommy wonder if he could figure out how to sense other people, not just those with magic. 

A few yards away from the door of the cave were two people, dismounting off horses. One of them Tommy recognized as Fundy, despite being all grown up, he still had the same bright orange hair and black outfit. He seemed nervous, hesitant to do anything or move closer. Tommy glanced between Wilbur and Fundy. Wilbur crossed his arms and glared at his son. 

The other person wasn't someone Tommy spent a lot of time around but did recognize him from the Election. Quackity. He'd changed though, bags under his eyes, a heavy weight on his shoulders. He raised his hands up when Wilbur pulled out a bow. He was surrendering, walking forward as calmly as he could. 

Tommy frowned. What were they doing here giving themselves up? He sensed something stirring in the air, and he tensed waiting for something. 

"We're not here to fight," Quackity said, shaking his head. “We only want to talk. We have news.” 

“Fuck off. You’re the one who stole my country from me. I’m not going to talk to traitors. I fucking hate both of you pieces of shit.” Wilbur cursed, rolling his eyes. He started to head back towards the cave. 

“Wait!” Tommy grabbed Wilbur’s arm. “Please, let's hear what they have to say. They sound genuine.” He could hear it in Quackity’s soft tones, and the worried and guilty expressions. 

Wilbur grumbled and let out a sigh. “Whatever,” he said. 

Tubbo stepped forward, willing to listen to them as well. “What happened?” 

“Schlatt he, well he is incapable of governing. I thought when he showed up wanting change that it would be good. And… he prospered but at a cost.” Quackity hesitated. “He’s a drunk, and can’t do anything for himself. I’ve carried the burden of it.” He glanced between Tubbo and Wilbur. “If you don’t believe us, believe Tubbo.” 

Tubbo stared at the ground, silent. He was rarely this upset. Tommy reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. It was going to be okay, they were going to take down Schlatt. The fact that Quackity and Fundy were here at all was a good sign. 

“I believe you. I don’t fucking care. It’s not my problem is it?” Wilbur laughed, leaning against a tree. 

“Don’t listen to him. What are you two proposing?” Tommy said, pulling Tubbo behind him. He could handle this now. 

Fundy held up a journal to Wilbur. “I… I wasn’t a traitor. I was a spy, like Tubbo. I’ve been keeping notes since the beginning. Please, I would never betray my home, my family.” 

Wilbur scoffed, snatching the journal and throwing it on the ground. He kicked dirt on it, glaring at Fundy. “Fuck you.” 

Tommy raced forward, picking up the book and ignoring Wilbur’s behavior. He flipped through the pages. Indeed, there were earlier entries from months ago. Patterns of Schlatt’s behaviors, even his plans for the country. 

“This checks out. Wait, so you want to join us? In the fight against Schlatt?” Tommy asked, his heart beginning to soar with hope. They had more allies! 

“Yes! Please.” Quackity nodded. “I heard you were a hero, that you were guaranteed to win in major battles. Is it true?” 

“He’s a great hero! It’s how we won against Dream, and his powers are incredible!” Tubbo spoke out, grinning once again. 

Well, he couldn’t do what Dream or Techno could do. But he certainly had enough magic to win, to beat any villain. He could take down a demon like Schlatt. Tommy flexed his arms in a pose. “That’s right. I’m so powerful the women are all over me. I can win any fight!” 

Tubbo and Quackity both burst out laughing, the mood rising a bit. Tommy was glad he could make people happy. As for a plan to take down the demon… 

“You said he does lots of drugs right?” Tommy smirked as an idea formed in his head. 

Quackity’s smile fell. “Yes, he does. It makes his moods worse or he spends too much time working out or sleeping.” 

“Well, you came to the right person. I happen to have lots of drugs. Let's say, we mix all the potions with alcohol eh? We can cause an overdose reaction, the body can’t handle more than two or three at once.”

For once, Tommy’s knowledge about brewing potions and alcohol paid off. If they mixed strength, healing, harming, swiftness, and invisibility potions, Schlatt was sure to die. He held up a finger and raced inside where he kept the chests of potions. 

He returned to Fundy, handing him all the potions he had in stock. “Here. While we’re battling and he’s distracted by the war, mix all this into his drink. He’ll die within a minute or two.” 

Fundy raised an eyebrow. “How do you-” 

“Oh come on, you remember the drug empire. Of course, Tommy knows his shit,” Wilbur spat, glaring at him. 

Tommy rolled his eyes, willing Wilbur to keep his mouth shut. “It’s a pleasure to work with you!” He shook Quackity’s hand to seal the deal between the two groups.

“Thank you so much, Tommy. We owe you,” he replied. 

“Eh, just pay me in money and women and we’ll be even.” Tommy really did want a girlfriend after all this. It would be nice. Or maybe he didn’t. Girls were so hard to talk to. 

The whole group except Wilbur laughed.

A shiver went through Tommy. Wired strings dug into his wrists and arms, pain searing through him. He grit his teeth, turning to find the masked god walking towards them. 

Dream clapped his hands slowly, to the beat of his slow steps. His axe sparkled threateningly. 

Tommy immediately stepped in front of everyone else. He had to protect them. 

“What a nice reunion. Should I tell the President that his Vice President has betrayed him?” Dream’s cold voice was smooth, calm. He stopped next to the tree where Wilbur sat. 

“What do you want?” Tommy growled, hand reaching for his sword. 

“Hmm after your last trick, I’d say to kill you. But that wouldn’t be fun, would it? Say, hero, you’ve gained control of magic, have you? I’m sure glad my disks will never be in your hands again,” Dream reached into a small pouch, pulling out a black journal. It looked burnt, even wrinkled. 

Tommy ignored his taunting, despite his blood burning, begging for him to fight. He couldn’t. Now wasn’t the time. He glared at him. “Oh no a withered old book. Is that supposed to scare me, Dream?” 

“Nah. This, this is mine as well. I’m collecting powerful items. This is the Book of Death. In here, is how to bring someone back to life. Schlatt gave it to me. In exchange, I am to protect him in the upcoming war. A god deal can’t be broken,” Dream said. 

Tommy lurched for the book, but Dream simply backed up and the book disappeared from his hand. “Give me my disks!” Tommy growled. 

“Oh, Tommy, that’s getting old. You might want to shut up about them.” 

“Fuck off. They’re mine. When I win the war, you’re giving them back.” Tommy said. He felt Tubbo’s hand on his arm, trying to restrain him. Right. His brother was right. Now wasn’t the time to get mad. Dream was warning them to be prepared. 

“You should be worried, Tommy. There are traitors in your ranks. People will betray you. Maybe you should be focused on them, not the disks.” Dream shrugged. “Just a suggestion. Alright, see you later!” 

The god waved to them and disappeared in a flash of light. The strings of power around Tommy’s wrists lifted and retreated as he’d left. 

A cold feeling sunk into his gut. Traitors? What? He didn’t mean Fundy and Quackity. They weren’t lying, he could tell. Wilbur wouldn’t go against them, they were brothers. Was it Techno? He’d hurt Tubbo, but apologized for it. 

Tommy didn’t know. He could trust his family right? 

The thought that the traitor could be his brothers kept him up that night. Dream’s words turning into nightmares before his eyes. 


End file.
